Memento - English Edition
by Jafs
Summary: Between the walls of past, the future will be defied.
1. Happiness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Mahou Shoujo** **Madoka Magica** **and their characters.**

 **This fanfic is the** **tenth** **volume of Year Zero** **series** **, you can find it on my profile.**

 **This is an "engrish" translation. I am doing my best, but feel free to tell me if it is unreadable.**

* * *

 **Happiness**

Tomohisa Kaname opened the glass door and felt the fresh air, the smell of grass. The vegetable garden, which was in a greenhouse built in an open space in the middle of the house, welcomed him with vivid colors. Amidst the green stood the yellow of the peppers and the red of ripe tomatoes.

Carrying a basket, he entered and began to harvest with satisfaction what would be the breakfast. It did not seem that this place had been destroyed by the worst storm in Mitakihara's history, except perhaps for the still new paint on the walls. It was months of work, from soil preparation, replanting of what he could save and new seeds, aside the care for watering and pest prevention, but in the end all this was being rewarded.

Through the transparent roof the clear sky could be seen. The news forecast that would be like this for the entire next week, the golden week... As expected, his wife would not stop working. Rarely did the company stop during the holidays. When was the last time?

Tomohisa paused for a moment what he was doing, trying to remember. If he was not mistaken, it was during the founder's birthday, not that she had not gone to the company for the confraternities and homages.

How could it be different? How could they maintain this standard of living? How to pay for the education of Madoka and Tatsuya?

He returned to his work with more determination. It could go on like this for now, but there was a long future ahead and he could do something about, he was already doing it.

Yet he felt a silence. Actually 'feel' did not seem to be the most adequate description and the silence was always there, since everyone would still be sleeping, but it seemed it was more menacing. Inside his mind, in the deepest part, unreached by his consciousness, something told him that he was being watched.

He looked back and saw no one. It was expected, but that did not satisfy his primitive fears. He went to the entrance and looked down the hallway, which looked darker than when he had woken up.

Then he heard a door open, it was the bathroom door, and someone was approaching. Emerging at the corner of the hall was a girl with long black hair, still in her pajamas.

"Oh, Homura-san," said Tomohisa, smiling at his own foolishness. "You woke up earlier today."

"I say the same," she replied.

"Haha..." He raised his eyebrows as he scratched his temple. "Actually, this is the time I wake up... ehhh..." Then he froze. "Didn't you see me in the greenhouse?"

Homura looked down. "I think I woke up earlier than you." Then she folded her arms, feeling them with her hands. "I was in the bathroom..."

"Forget it!"

She looked back at Tomohisa, who was smiling more now.

"Can you help me gather what's left? We don't have much time."

Homura nodded quickly and followed him into the greenhouse.

There might not be much time, but there was not much else to do there either. Soon both were in the kitchen with the basket full of fruits and vegetables. Tomohisa soon began to wash them in the sink, he would not cut nor peel them, seeking to leave food as natural as possible.

Homura sat at the counter and watched him. "You like doing that, don't you? Every day..."

"I'd say I didn't imagine myself doing that."

"Madoka told me you were an architect."

Tomohisa opened the cabinet and picked up some bowls. "I was? I've never been one." Then he began to assemble an arrangement with the food in them. "I graduated in architecture, in fact this house was the project of a friend of mine at that time, but soon Madoka came then..."

"I see." Homura nodded.

"I started dating Junko early in college," Tomohisa continued, shaking his head and smiling, "she graduated before me and had gotten a good job, while being an architect isn't exactly a stable career, so that decision was obvious." He went to the refrigerator and got some eggs. "Actually it was meant to be temporary, but when Tatsuya came I already felt that this was my vocation, now I just need to make it a profession."

She became more curious. "Do you intend to make money from it? Are you going to sell what your garden produces? "

"Hahaha! No, no..." He opened the oven from the stove, from which came the delicious scent of the homemade bread he had baked yesterday. "I intend to sell knowledge. Did you know that our taste capacity diminishes with age?" He looked at her.

She shook her head slightly.

"It's because of this that we come to tolerate or even like certain foods that we hated during childhood." He returned his attention to the eggs and to the frying pan where he would fry them without oil. "It's because of this that we also start to include more condiments, sugar and fat in our diets, the same our sons will have."

As she listened to him, Homura could not help but notice that the conversation had not reduced his efficiency in the kitchen.

"We're blessed by our cultural heritage and we have few obese people in our country but I watch the news and there are so many children in the world with health problems due to being overweight. It's alarming!" Tomohisa finished frying the last egg and was already examining the fruits he would use for a juice. "The food we offer to our children is part of our love. One can not treat this with such neglect. I hope one day to be able to pass on this philosophy of natural foods that I have acquired through my experience and make a difference for other families. I still don't know if I'll write a book or put some videos on the Internet..."

Homura was now facing a colorful breakfast on the bench, with the distinguishing smell of fried egg.

Tomohisa sighed and straightened his glasses. "I ended up talking too much, didn't I? Maybe you wanted to ask something else."

"No... it's okay..." Homura turned her face, whispering, "This family is blessed to have you."

"Something has bothered you lately."

Homura said nothing against his statement.

"Is it longing?"

But this time she shuddered, with a startled look.

Tomohisa held up his hands. "S-Sorry, I was kidding, but it's true you're leaving us soon. They're finishing the rebuilding of your house."

Her expression calmed, but her restless hands betrayed her. "That's correct."

He gestured to himself. "I can tell that we'll miss you, Homura-san."

"You shouldn't."

Her curt reply removed what was left of Tomohisa's smile.

The one who tried to smile now was Homura. "I'll make visits, right?"

"Ah..." A shiver ran through his nape. He put his hand on it as he nodded. "Of course, this is certain..."

"There you are!"

They looked at the newcomer.

Madoka was in white pajamas, wearing fluffy slippers. She soon approached Homura. "When I woke up and didn't see you, I thought you had run away."

Tomohisa held a laugh. "Ha... What a silly idea."

"Wehihi, I know, but I was so worried... I think I had a nightmare."

"It must have been that," Homura replied, glancing at Madoka, in that she felt someone tugging her pants, a boy.

"Homuranee!"

"Tatsuya? Are you there?" Tomohisa leaned over the counter to see him. "So your mother is awake?"

"No," Madoka winked, "I caught that naughty boy trying to open the door to her room while I was looking for Homura."

"Well..." Tomohisa put his hands on his hips. "Why don't you three do the honors? Breakfast is ready."

"Sure!" Madoka gestured for them to follow. "Takkun! Homura! Let's pull her feet today."

While the boy continued to pull Homura's pants. "Cooome! Our mother must wake up."

Between the two, Homura saw no other choice. "Let's wake her..."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Tatsuya tried to snag a small tomato, but the fruit escaped and rolled off the table.

Junko saw it happen and quickly tried to capture it with her plate so that it did not meet the floor, but already was another plate receiving it.

"Take more care, Tatsuya-kun," Homura said as she returned the tomato to the boy's plate, "this food has a lot of value."

"Thank you, Homura-san." Junko straightened her hair and looked at her son. "You should thank her, too."

Tatsuya lifted his head to meet the girl's eyes. "Thank you, Homuranee!"

"It's 'Homura-nee-san'," Junko instructed.

Tomohisa, who was in the kitchen doing the dishes, spoke to her with some concern, "You shouldn't teach him that way. It makes it seem like we've literally adopted her."

Junko rested her arms on the table and replied looking at Homura, "After so much time with us, she's already family to me."

The girl raised her eyebrows. "T-That's... That's an exag-"

"Homuranee Kanamenee!" Tatsuya exclaimed in his chair.

"Ah..." Tomohisa put his hand on his head. "That's what I was talking about."

Junko laughed. "Kukuku... He's making progress!"

Homura blushed and smiled.

"Wehihi."

She then exchanged glances with Madoka.

The pink-haired girl smiled openly, showing no inhibition.

Homura stopped smiling and looked away.

And Madoka's countenance faded.

The girl with braids returned to sit and eat in silence.

"And what do you intend to do during the golden week?" Junko asked.

"Hi?" Madoka blinked as if from exiting a trance. "Ah! Hmmm... I don't know yet."

"We're going to study," Homura replied coldly.

"Oh no! No! No chance! You don't need the whole week for this," Junko said, making a sad face, "you should seize that opportunity while you can or one day you may find that the clients of the corporation you work for don't have a golden week..."

"Ehhh..." Madoka pinched the tips of her hair and looked away. "Mom, you're talking like Saotome-sensei right now."

Junko smiled and nodded. "That's why I said that you should enjoy while you can."

"Your mother is right," Tomohisa backed.

Madoka shrugged. "Well, we still have a some time to see this. By the end of the day, Homura and I will know what we're going to do together."

After a quick glance at her, Homura replied, "Yes, we'll see..." Then she rose from her chair. "It's time."

"Oh, it's true!" Junko put all that was still on her plate into her mouth and swallowed with the help of a glass of juice.

Madoka did the same with her bread.

Tomohisa just smiled and shook his head in disapproval.

Homura took her school bag and also Madoka's, who was already jumping out of the chair and leaving.

"Take care and have a good day." Tomohisa waved while he received a kiss from Junko.

Tatsuya exclaimed, "Have a niiiiice day!"

After waving, Madoka soon was with Homura on the street, on the way to school. The pace was fast and steady, but they still did not have to run.

"Haven't you forgotten anything?" Homura asked.

"No."

With the satisfactory answer, Homura decided to check if her school uniform had not messed up with the rush.

"Good morning!"

However, the strange announcement of Madoka changed her plans. "Huh?"

"Wehihi." She smiled with some embarrassment. "It was good that you asked. I remembered that we still hadn't given a good morning to each other today."

"Of course..." Homura said without expressiveness, "Good morning, Madoka."

"Hmmm..." Madoka grimaced. "Whether the day will be good or not will depend on the exam scores they'll announce today."

Homura pressed her lips together.

"I didn't even tell my parents, you know. I hope to bring a good surprise to them."

"Why does it matter?"

The sudden question of Homura raised Madoka's eyebrows. A silence lingered between them until Madoka smiled. "Just because I already have a job, doesn't mean I shouldn't put effort on this. I think you must have worked hard too, and you're going to get great grades!"

"Force of habit." Homura continued with a monotonous tone.

"See?" Madoka approached the other girl, searching for her eyes.

But Homura did not respond with any reaction.

Madoka sighed in frustration. "Ah... What do I do with your bad mood?"

"Bad mood?" Homura lowered her gaze, a faint expression of surprise. "I'm not in a bad mood."

"For me you seem to be and... I think you've been like this ever since our conversation about Sasa-chan, if not before. It looks like it's getting worse over time."

The face of Homura became more tense.

Madoka spoke almost in a whisper, "Are you holding a grudge against me?"

Homura closed her eyes and relaxed. "It's an absurd to ask me that."

"So aren't you holding a grudge and in a bad mood?"

"No."

Madoka jumped in front of Homura to stand face to face as she continued to walk, now backward. "Then I can tell you this idea I had."

Now more surprised, Homura remained silent for her to continue.

"When I saw you and dad in the kitchen, I thought..." She smiled. "How about we help him with breakfast using one of the recipes from the cooking club? My dad knows a lot of tricks we could share with the people at the club, they would love it!"

Homura shook her head. "I'm not ready for this."

"No problem if we make a mistake," Madoka insisted, "it'll be fun!"

"You're going to end up crashing into something," Homura commented.

"Hmmm..." Madoka pouted and turned to walk side by side with her. "OK! I'll do it someday during the golden week. You're invited."

"Great..."

It was already possible to see the gates of Mitakihara school and the large number of students heading towards it.

One of the students in particular made Madoka to exclaim, "Hitomi-chan!"

"Oh? Ah, Madoka-san..." Hitomi stopped and waited for the two. "And Homura-san. Good morning."

"Good morning!"

"Good morning..."

Hitomi followed them, staying on the still vacant side of Homura. "I thought I was a little late today."

"Yeah..." Madoka gave a clumsy smile. "We're arguing at home about what we're going to do during the golden week."

"And you already decided?"

"Yes," Homura replied.

Making Madoka raise her eyebrows.

Hitomi continued to look at her.

"Ah... We're still thinking about the details," Madoka said, "And you, Hitomi-chan?"

"Nothing special," Hitomi said with resignation, "just studying a lot."

"That's a good thing." Homura looked at her.

Hitomi corresponded with a glance and smiled. "Thank you..."

They had already passed through the gates when Madoka commented, "This new building for the future high school is beautiful. It should be almost done."

"Uh-huh..." Hitomi added. "I know the construction company is from Tokyo and was responsible for 80% of the reconstruction of Mitakihara."

"Really?"

Hitomi nodded. "My father told me. They're a big old corporation."

"Then our future must be in good hands." Madoka smiled. "Did you know that, Homura?"

Silence.

It seemed that Homura had not heard that conversation. Madoka and Hitomi did not change their expressions, but they exchanged glances.

"Yes... They're rebuilding my home," she finally replied as she watched a couple walk into the school building before them, a girl with long white hair and a blond boy.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"There're bad things in this world. Things so terrible that we ask if there is a purpose in it. If our lives deserve them as punishment. Perhaps life itself is a punishment, which we put into a richly decorated gift box to not see the obvious. Why do we deserve it? In what moment our distracted senses did not realize the sin that had been committed. Or maybe it was before we were born, a crime committed by our souls, incarnated or not..." Saotome pointed her ruler at a boy sitting in the first row of desks. "Nakazawa-kun! What is more important? The Golden Week or Valentine's Day?"

"Ehhh..." Nakazawa scratched the back of his head. "I don't know. Well... I don't have a girlfriend, so for me the golden week would be more important."

Saotome slammed his desk as she leaned on it. "Right, but wrong!"

Nakazawa almost fell off the chair. The teacher's gaze had a clear killer intent.

"Yes, The Golden Week is more important, but it's not for that reason."

He swallowed hard. "W-Would it be because it has more days?"

She rose, carrying an expression of disappointment. "It's closer, but it's still not enough." She turned her back to the class. "Boys and girls, you must have heard about the origins of The Golden Week. You may have read about it in some book."

The air was anxious, the classroom was silent. Not exactly for Homura, who heard a few whispers.

"Could it be the worst of all?"

"No... She's quite in a good mood."

Saotome slowly raised her shaking hands, as if she were in a ritual of invocation of the devil itself. "The truth is all this is false. A conspiracy to blindfold you until it's too late to discover something so trivial..." She turned to them, ready to launch her cataclysmic conjuration. "THE GOLDEN WEEK IS NINE VALENTINE'S DAYS!"

The students widened their eyes, in awe, while some counted on their fingers to see if the math did match.

"Couples plan to do things together during The Golden Week, it's just natural. So, boys, you can't abbandon a woman to travel with your friends." She began grinding her teeth and bending the ruler she held, threatening to break it. "And girls, don't let them tell you at the last minute." Suddenly, she calmed down and smiled. "Oh yes, by the way, I need to deliver the scores to you before class is over."

One by one, the students were called to receive their exams with corrections and their grades. Soon most of the classroom began to compare between them.

"Your grades have improved since last year, Madoka-san," commented Hitomi, "you're perfect in geography."

"Wehihi. Yes, I was worried, but I'm not anymore."

"Is it because Homura-san is living with you?"

"Oh, she's helped me with many things..." Madoka looked at Homura. "I saw that she did very well in math, physics and chemistry."

The girl with braids put the documents in a folder. "Force of habit..."

"And your grades are always outstanding, Hitomi-chan."

The girl's green gaze lowered in a more serious expression. "Almost all of them lowered, even if I was studying at home."

Madoka kept her smile. "But they're still great, you'll easily get a place at high school."

"I am not sure..."

Seeing Hitomi return to her desk, Madoka felt it best not to ask.

That moment was being forgotten with the course of the classes, so much that after the last one, the girls happily left school.

Well, at least Hitomi and Madoka.

"How's it going at the cooking club?"

"I've been able to follow the recipes." Madoka shrugged. "However they say it tastes bland, that I need to put more condiments. To me they're tasty, but I'm suspect to talk, right? Hehe."

Hitomi looked at Homura.

"I'm learning," Homura said quickly.

"Yes, that's the best part." Hitomi looked up at the sky. "You must already be noticing, it seems that there is always a more sophisticated recipe. It's wonderful."

Homura shuddered and pressed her lips together.

Noticing that, Madoka tried to change the subject. "Hmmm... Do you know when they'll show the high school uniforms for us to vote?"

"They have not set a date yet," Hitomi replied, "but it should be soon."

"Uh-huh." Madoka tugged the red bow at her collar a little. "I think I'll miss this uniform even if the options we can choose are nice. I'm a little anxious about this, aren't you, Hitomi-chan?"

"I am... not sure." Hitomi stopped, causing the other two to turn to her.

Madoka saw her friend serious again.

"Okay." Hitomi took a deep breath and said, "Do you remember the Tokyo's construction company I told you about? My dad got a good job there."

"Oh... Hitomi-chan, that's great!" Madoka wanted to smile, but Hitomi's countenance did not allow, while Homura did not hide her surprise. For Madoka this was clear. "And you're moving with your family there, aren't you?"

Hitomi nodded. "That is why I need to improve my grades, the schools in the capital are more demanding." Then she put her hand on her chest and again took a deep breath. "S-Sorry for not telling you before, but this will be the last year you will see me."

Madoka raised her eyebrows. "But we'll continue to communicate. I'd love to visit you in Tokyo too."

Homura glared at her.

Hitomi shook her head and said, "My parents do not want me to have ties with this place. A fresh start is what I need after what happened."

"Is this what you really want, Hitomi-chan?"

"And you do want not?"

Madoka gaped. "Why?"

"'Why?'" Hitomi's eyes reddened. "She was your best friend. You found the strength to not be shaken, but..."

Madoka shook her head. "Please, it's not your fault."

"Whether it is or not... It will never be like before." Hitomi took a handkerchief and wiped her eyes while sniffing her nose. "I know you're just trying to be kind, you've always been like this..."

Homura and Madoka exchanged glances. The pinkette had a distinct pleading expression that Homura could not ignore. "Shizuki-san..."

"Huh?"

However, it might have been better to think of something before calling her. If there was nothing to be said, an attitude could serve and Homura visualized a place on the other side of the street perfect for the occasion. "Lets have an ice cream."

Hitomi blinked.

"I'll pay yours," Homura smiled shyly.

"Ah..." Hitomi's smile was more expressive, albeit sad. "It's going to look like w-we are..."

Madoka looked at both, curious.

"Thank you for the invitation, but I need to get back home. My parents are anxious to hear about my grades." Hitomi started to walk away.

"Don't you want us to come with you?" Madoka asked.

Hitomi put the handkerchief back and kept smiling. "No need, I am better. As for Tokyo... the decision is not just mine. So..."

Madoka nodded.

"Goodbye to you." Hitomi nodded. "Have a good golden week."

"For you too!" Madoka returned the gesture. "Then let's share the news when possible!"

Homura too. "Try to rest, your grades are good."

With Hitomi leaving, the two girls exchanged glances again.

Homura turned her face away. "I tried..."

"You did well." Madoka smiled. "Don't worry, Hitomi-chan will get over this."

"Yes? You're so sure..." Homura's voice lowered. "Maybe she's part of some 'master plan' of yours..."

Madoka frowned. "No, it's because she's better than last year." Then she smiled again. "And I have hope that she'll learn from this and become an even better person than she already is."

"But don't you feel bad? Leave her in this state of pain and guilt as you carry the truth that would set her free of that?"

"Of course I feel," Madoka stated earnestly, "that's why I always think of Sayaka-chan. She wouldn't want to haunt even more the life of her friend and Kamijou-kun."

Homura clenched her fists. "I understand..."

"Hey you two!"

Madoka saw who was calling. It was two classmates who were passing by, which she soon recognized. "Oh... Haruhi-chan and Mihoko-chan."

Mihoko Shibasawa was a short girl, even more so than Madoka. However, no one would mistake her for being a child because of her bulging chest. Her reddish brown hair was relatively long and poorly combed, always needing a clip to keep them away from her eyes.

While Haruhi Asano was taller and took better care of her appearance. She divided her mustard-colored hair into two small ponytails. "We're going to walk around downtown, want to come with us?"

"That would be nice," Madoka consulted Homura.

It took a while, but she nodded.

Haruhi and Mihoko started running. "So let's go, the bus is coming!"

From school to downtown was a few minutes. As the girls talked about the grades, Homura watched the sky gradually being blocked by more and more buildings.

When they arrived, Mihoko was the last one to get off the bus, having to run to reach the others who were already walking. "Madoka-chan, Homura-chan, what are you guys going to do in the golden week?"

"Ah... Hmmm..." Madoka looked at Homura, who was with eyes closed. "We're still thinking."

"It's good that you can still decide." Mihoko made a crying face. "My parents will send me and my brother to our grandmother. She lives in another city and there's nothing to do there. It's a place that looks like a village, you know."

"You should enjoy the fresh air," Haruhi said with a smile.

Mihoko angered. "You talk like that because you're going to stay here. You'll go every day at the mall, at the cinema, you'll meet pretty boys... I bet when I return you'll have a boyfriend!"

Haruhi almost laughed. "Don't talk nonsense, you look like Saotome-sensei."

Mihoko's eyes widened. "I'll never be like her. Never!"

"Relax. Your week will be good," Madoka said, "isn't it, Homura-chan?"

"She should value those visits to her grandmother," Homura spoke in a calm but serious tone, "for you never know when that will no longer be possible."

Haruhi raised a eyebrow. "Homura-chan always with the best reply..."

Mihoko lowered her head. "Speaking like that, I feel bad."

"You can stop that," Haruhi said, "because a pet shop is just ahead."

"Pet shop?" Mihoko's face brightened.

"Do you know what that means?" Haruhi grinned.

And both Said, excited, "Kittens!"

"Wehihi!"

"The best cure for bad mood." Haruhi grabbed Mihoko's arm and ran. "Let's go!"

The short girl barely had time to react and grab Madoka's arm.

Madoka tried to do the same with Homura, but it was too late and she saw the girl being left behind.

Standing where she was, Homura watched the three girls stand in front of the pet shop window. Haruhi and Mihoko had not even noticed her absence, while Madoka shared her attention with what was in the store and with her.

 _Cats._

Something deep in her memory emerged in Homura.

 _That's how it all started, isn't it, Madoka?_

Resolved to keep this question to herself, she took the first steps to join the others.

" _... missing girls..._ "

However, she stopped on the way, in front of an electronics store. A large TV set showed a news anchor presenting the international news.

" _... the numbers are alarming not only in Moscow but also in other major cities of the country, with the average age group between twelve to seventeen. The main line of investigation is a pact or challenge proposed on social networks, something recently popular among teenagers, since the evidences indicates that they have voluntarily left their homes, carrying clothing and food with them._

 _The authorities have not yet dismissed the possibility of enticement by traffickers, but they say in such cases that scale would be avoided not to attract attention. This is being the biggest mystery, since no girl was found despite the large number of disappearances. The best clue so far is a camera at a gas station that caught one of the alleged girls getting a ride with a truck driver. Witnesses report that he went east, but the vehicle was not located. It's feared that these girls may be crossing the border with Kazakhstan, where policing has already intensified. This is consistent with a speculation that a similar event is taking place in China, all of which are being denied by the Chinese government. While the government of Kazakhstan has not manifested until now._

 _Experts are still assessing the impact on the relationship between the countries involv-"_

Sounds of gunshots.

Homura quickly turned, her ring felt tighter on her finger.

Another screen showed sophisticated three-dimensional images of a frantic shooter game, from the point of view of a soldier in the middle of a war.

"Call of Battlefield 5: Exterminatus." Mihoko appeared.

Followed by Haruhi. "Is this the game your brother doesn't let you play?"

Homura felt a hand on her back, it was Madoka with a smile, it was then that she realized that her own body was tense. On the television now a advertisement was airing.

"Yeah, he keeps saying I'm going to mess up his account." Mihoko rolled her eyes. "But he don't let me create mine."

Haruhi shook her head. "I don't know how you like this violent game."

"It's cool, you rank up and customize the character, the weapons and even the vehicles..." Mihoko looked at Madoka. "And it's not violent, only a bit of blood. What do you think?"

"Ehhh... I don't understand much of it. About games, I only have a few simple ones on my phone."

"And you, Homura-chan?"

The three girls looked at her. Homura looked at Mihoko for a while, then turned and left. "Too realistic..."

Mihoko and Haruhi were speechless.

So much that Madoka shrugged and smiled at them before following the girl with braids.

Haruhi then whispered to Mihoko, "It means it's too violent."

"No, it's not!"

The sun was approaching the horizon and the shadows of the buildings grew. The less fortunate stores that stood in the way of them turned on their lights.

"We have walked a lot and now I'm hungry," Mihoko complained.

"I still want to go to that bookstore I told you about." Haruhi was thoughtful. "But it's a little far, hmmm... right. Let's eat! Homura-chan, Madoka-chan, have any place in particular you want to go? Mihoko accepts anything."

"Hey!" The girl with hair clip did not like to hear that.

Homura replied without enthusiasm, "Anywhere is good to me."

"Same," said Madoka.

Haruhi nodded. "So let's go to the first place we find, before it's too late."

They hastened their pace, but their plan, though simple, did not expect for that turnaround coming from Mihoko.

"Look at this!"

They stopped in front of a department store. The display window showed several pairs of colorful sandals.

"Ohhh..." Haruhi's eyes widened. "It looks like they've already launched the next summer's trend."

"Yes!" Mihoko couldn't hold her joy. "Look at the strap of this one. There's a cute little turtle!"

"And also this one with a ladybug," Haruhi agreed, "and the one with a bird has even fluff feathers!"

Mihoko pointed to another sandal. "Hehe, that pink one with a lamb matches you, Madoka-chan."

Madoka bent down to take a closer look. "Yeah, I think it would look good on my foot."

Behind them, Homura was still.

 _Their smiles..._

Waiting.

 _... ignorant to their own fragility..._

Watching.

 _... it's gninekcis._

It was then that she noticed the mannequins near the sandals. Their smiles were hideous, their gazes were of a familiar green and red.

The mannequins opened their smiles wider, showing their sharp teeth.

Homura held her breath.

They raised their hands, conjuring up large black pins.

"No..." Homura looked at Madoka and the other two. They talked and laughed, completely unaware to the danger.

The mannequins aimed their pins, ready to impale the girls' heads.

"No!" Homura exclaimed.

The girls jumped and stared at her.

The mannequins were motionless in the position they had always been, faceless and harmless.

Homura now looked like those mannequins, paralyzed in stupefaction.

"Homura...?" Madoka was worried.

She returned to blink her eyes and to breath, lowering her gaze. "Sorry for being rude... B-But I want to say that these sandals are no good, they worn out easily."

"Yeah..." Madoka looked at the other two girls. "She's right. They're cute, but they don't look like they were made to walk much with them."

"Hmmm..." Haruhi grimaced, followed by a smile. "It's true... and they look more like toys than shoes."

Mihoko looked back at the sandals. "I'd use it anyway."

Haruhi made a disappointing face and patted her friend's head. "Grow up, Mihoko-chan, grow up..."

"Hey!"

Madoka smiled at that scene, but only for a fleeting moment.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"Goodbye! Have great holidays!"

It was already night when Madoka and Homura got off the bus toward their home.

The walk was silent, but Madoka did not want it. "Won't you say anything?"

"About what?" Homura asked without looking at her.

"Something troubled you, don't lie to me."

"Lie..."

Madoka noted Homura's face getting more tense.

"How about we stop pretending we have a normal life?" Homura suggested, "There's no one around."

Realizing traces of sarcasm, Madoka nodded. "If you want to talk about magic, then we'll talk about magic... It would be good to check the grief seed."

"I'll do it when we get home."

"I'm not talking about mine." There was a silence after that statement, which Madoka waited patiently.

Homura struggled not to turn her face or press her lips. "Don't worry about me, I check mine regularly."

"But can't I see?"

"I just said you don't have to worry about me." Homura closed her eyes.

"You deny me, Homura-chan."

That sudden, desperate voice. Homura quickly looked at Madoka. The girl had a cadaverous pallor, marbled by black veins. Her gaze was a glittering gold and the tar coming down from them was fraught with frustration.

"You protect more your pain, your misery, than me. Is this what I was worth to you, a symbol that emerges those feelings? So accept what I offered. I can change you, I can change everything!"

Homura's eyes widened.

"Homura?"

However, she was facing a completely normal Madoka. It was as if there was a void in her memory, it was as if that had never happened.

"Homura! Why are you scared?"

Homura recovered herself and looked down, murmuring, "It's not-"

"No way it's nothing!"

Again, again she brought worry to Madoka. In the end, it was all she had to offer.

"Please, don't keep this to yourself."

"When... When I looked at you I..." Homura took a deep breath and her voice grew desperate. "... I remembered the past, everything that happened. My life, my whole life is a labyrinth, I can't escape it."

Madoka held her hand. "Then don't run away."

Homura frowned.

"I also remember everything, there're many bad things..." Madoka nodded and smiled. "But they remind me of the value of our good deeds. It's what comforts me when I'm afraid. Let me carry some of your weight to make your past more bearable."

Homura had calmed down, but remained silent.

They were already close to home. Tomohisa was taking care of the front yard with his son.

"Madoka! Homuranee!"

"There you are."

"We were with some school friends," Madoka said. "Watering the plants now?"

"Ah yes, yes. I didn't want to cook them with the hot sun of today..." Tomohisa handed the watering can to Tatsuya, who ran off to the faucet, but ended up stumbling and falling face down on the ground.

Madoka made a expression of pain.

Tatsuya quickly got up, wiped his knees and returned to run.

"Oh... Takkun is becoming a man," Madoka commented.

Tomohisa agreed, "He's growing up."

The two girls continued toward the front door.

"Ah! I almost forgot," Tomohisa said, "there's a letter for you, Homura-san."

She stopped. "A letter?"

"Weird, isn't it? You hadn't received any so far. I left it on the kitchen counter."

"Right..."

They entered the house and Homura went straight to the kitchen, with Madoka following her, wondering, "Is it from school? Or maybe it's about the rebuilding of your home."

Homura dropped her bag and hastened to the counter, glanced quickly at the letter, and dashed off down the corridor.

Ignoring Madoka. "H-Homura?!" Soon the world, herself, was washed in dead colors. Madoka dropped her bag, which stopped in mid-air, and ran after her. "Wait!"

When she reached the corridor, she caught sight of Homura, with a conjured hourglass, beginning to close the bathroom door.

The girl with braids hesitated with the surprise of seeing who was coming, and then tried to close the door at once.

Madoka managed to stop it in time, and a dispute began at the door. With one arm through the opening, she tried to reach for the letter that Homura was still holding.

The hourglass, the letter, the door... It was too much for Homura, and she stepped back. Madoka came in and quickly closed the door.

"I knew it..." Homura whispered as she made her hourglass to disappear and the time to pass again, "I can't stop you..."

"You wanted to get rid of the letter, didn't you?"

"No, that's..." Homura turned away and dropped the letter. "That's already useless."

The letter fell to Madoka's feet. She could read that the sender was from Tokyo.

"They found me."

* * *

 **Next chapter: Preparatives**


	2. Preparatives

**Preparatives**

Mami enjoyed visits.

When she lived alone, the visit of a neighbor, the landlord, or even a plumber or electrician, helped to break the grueling routine between the school and protecting the city. It helped her to forget the emptiness of the rooms of her apartment.

Today, on the first day of the golden week, she was waiting for a special visit, but unexpectedly received another, also special.

However, Mami was not so happy, because the meaning of 'special' from this visit was for being 'very strange', especially with everything she had just heard from the two girls at the entrance. "Let me see if I understand. You're going to visit your relatives, but aren't you an orphan?"

Homura said nothing, keeping an aloof expression.

Mami crossed her arms. "When I heard you're living alone, I figured you're in a similar situation to mine. Even though you're from Tokyo..."

"I'm an orphan."

Hearing Homura, Madoka smiled at Mami for the blonde to leave that aside.

But Mami was too confused. "Could... Could you explain it to me better..."

"Are you going to do what I asked or not?" Homura was more serious.

Mami sighed and opened her hand. From the tips of her fingers flew thin ribbons that went straight to the face of Homura. The ties began to weave and to change color, some became transparent, while others became red.

"Done." Mami closed her hand.

Homura took the delicate object on her face, a pair of glasses, a replica of a shadow of the past.

"It's simple glass. I still have difficulty to craft lenses and I don't know what kind you used."

"It's okay." Homura continued to examine it. "What's the guarantee that it won't evaporate?"

"It's small and simple enough. I've put enough magic to last, as long as you don't expose it to extreme conditions," Mami said, rather annoyed, "and if you doubt it so much, why don't you just buy a new one?"

Homura put the glasses back. "It was Madoka's idea."

The pinkette just nodded at the revelation.

"Oh... Right..." Looking suspiciously at her, Mami asked, "Are you going to spend the entire golden week in Tokyo?"

"I don't know," Madoka replied, "by the letter, it seems they want to see if Homura is well."

"Letter?" Mami frowned and consulted Homura.

The girl with braids and glasses turned her face and clenched her fists.

Feeling the tension, Madoka continued, "Ahnnn... And you will stay in Mitakihara, Mami-san? With Nagisa-chan?"

"Nagisa..." It was enough for blonde to ignore Homura. "Yes, I will..."

Madoka looked around the apartment. "But she's not here, is she?"

"She's at her boyfriend's home. He's going to introduce her to his family."

"And you look worried." Madoka saw Mami clasp her shaking hands to her chest.

"Worried?!" The blonde gritted her teeth and whispered, struggling not to shout, "He knows everything!"

"We already talked about it." Madoka gestured. "Calm down, he doesn't know everything."

"It doesn't matter if he knows," Homura added, still not looking at the other two, "if it's just him."

"Nothing bad happened, Nagisa will be more cautious," Madoka concluded, "and this won't compromise my mission here at all."

Mami pressed her hands harder against her chest. "It's not just that..."

Madoka waited for her to continue, with an air of curiosity.

"When I found out she had a boyfriend, I was too harsh on her." Remembering, Mami shook her head and partially covered the face with her hand. "Nagisa told us that he discovered it by accident, but I don't think so. I believe she may have revealed to him in an act of... of..."

"Rebellion?" Homura asked.

Mami covered her face even more, closing her eyes. "I made a mistake. I thought I was prepared to take care of her, relying on the experience I had with Kyouko. I even thought it would be easier... but now I think all the time she might be lying, hating me in the back."

"She would never do that for that reason," Madoka said, "but out of love... It's a strong feeling that leads us to do unthinkable things."

Homura looked at her.

"When she realized what she was doing, I'm sure she felt terrible for hiding it from you, but she couldn't muster the courage to reveal to you, because it was too late..."

Mami gestured for her to stop. "I know... I know... But, I mean, I can't avoid thinking that. Sometimes I wonder if this comes from me or..." She sighed. "... from my witch."

"Both are the same, so don't carry that doubt."

Listening to Madoka speak with such seriousness, Mami commented, "Madoka-san, you really became someone else."

Looking surprised, Madoka smiled. "I don't see myself like this. I think, meeting so many lives and past, I have learned one thing or another. Hehe."

"It's time to go," Homura said.

"Yes," Madoka agreed, "we'll let Mami-san receive her visitor."

"Huh? How you..." Mami looked back, to where her glass table was, with two cups and cutlery already arranged.

"It's Sasa-chan, isn't it?"

"Yes, she said she would have breakfast with me..." Mami returned her gaze to Madoka, expressing some concern. "I'm still surprised that she's from the Law of Cycles."

"Uh-huh." Madoka smiled. "She has been guided by me recently and she doesn't know much yet."

"Even so, I don't understand why she hid it from me in our first meetings. She even camouflaged the source of magic."

Homura commented, "Just because it's part of the Law of Cycles doesn't mean that it's an ally."

Oriko's image popped into Mami's mind. "Maybe... But Sasa-san didn't share the reason for doing so. If there's something in me that she's afraid of, I'd like to know."

"Sasa-chan was a solitary magical girl who believed only in herself," Madoka said, "she never put much faith in trusting others. That's what she must be afraid of."

 _... You can't trust so blindly!..._

From Mami's memories, Sasa's voice echoed. "Hmmm... I should give her more time, I won't press her about it." Then she smiled. "She's about to come. Don't you want to stay a little longer? I can make some more tea."

"I don't have time for that." Homura opened the door to leave.

Madoka looked at the other girl's haste. "Oh... I'm sorry, Mami-san, we're going to catch the train to Tokyo this afternoon and we still have some things to do."

"Sure, have a good trip."

After saying goodbye to Mami, they went to the elevator. On the way, Homura again removed her glasses to examine, in which she noticed Madoka smiling slightly. "What?"

The elevator door opened and there was a girl, her mouth hanging open.

Madoka soon greeted her, "Good morning, Sasa-chan!"

"Ma... Ma..." Sasa put her hand on her chest to compose herself. "Madoka-sama, what a surprise..."

Madoka gestured, smiling. "Don't call me that."

Sasa protested, "But that's right, after all you're the goddess who saved my-" The elevator door began to close.

Homura managed to stop it with her hand. "You really are clueless, aren't you?"

After seeing that girl's intimidating expression, Sasa returned to look at Madoka.

She had opened an even bigger smile.

"Ahh..." Sasa shared the smile. "Of course! Madoka-CHAN! Hahahaaa..." And she left the elevator, passing between them. "So you came to visit your friend."

"Close friend."

"Close friend, that!" Sasa gave quick poke on her own forehead. "Is she fine?"

Madoka nodded. "She's waiting for you."

"Good to know that my friend, who is your close friend, is well..."

Homura's gaze narrowed.

Sasa gulped. "H-Have a great golden week, Madoka-saCHAAANN!"

Madoka clasped her hands together. "I wish you the same, Sasa-chan! Wehihi."

With Sasa standing in front of Mami's apartment door, Homura and Madoka went into the elevator.

When the door closed, Homura said while hiding her glasses in a pocket, "She's still going to be a problem."

"Why? Everything is going well." Madoka pressed the button on the panel to descend.

"As long as she doesn't know what she really is, but she'll find out when her body start to twist or when one of her familiars appears."

"That won't be easy to happen."

Homura frowned at Madoka's sudden statement.

"Did you hear Mami-san? She's worried about her curse, she's thinking too much about it... While Sasa-chan doesn't even know witches come from magical girls."

More surprised, Homura asked, "Did you already know?"

"No..." Madoka then nodded to herself. "But as they say, ignorance can be a blessing."

"'Can be?'" Homura grew more serious. "So she's an experiment."

Madoka looked at her.

That determined look. Homura's heart froze.

"I want her to live."

Was it anger? Is that what she could feel in her voice? Homura was not sure, she could no longer think about it, only to control the tremors in her body, not to lower her gaze down, nor her head.

Madoka continued to stare at her.

For how much longer?

The elevator door opened, breaking that moment. As she left, Madoka continued, "She'll find out someday, but when it does happen I hope her relationship with Mami-san has matured."

Homura breathed again, she had not even noticed that she had held it. "So that's the plan..." When they reached the street, she said, "Now let's go to a drug store."

"It's about your heart, right?"

"Yes." Homura looked at her own chest. "Your parents don't have much idea of my condition, but with them it's different."

"Do you remember which ones you took?"

"I stayed in the hospital long enough to memorize them." Homura became more thoughtful. "I'm not sure about the dosage, but that doesn't matter."

They walked the streets until they found one. It was big store, a good sign that the medicines that Homura needed were there, but the street was too busy.

The two arrived near a wall. Homura turned to it and conjured an hourglass and laid it on the palm of her hand. The world faded and was lifeless, without movement. She looked at her goal, the drug store, feeling more safe. However, taking the first step, her wrist was held.

It was Madoka, the dead colors on the girl immediately revitalizing. "Please, leave some money on the shelf."

Homura nodded and crossed the street amid the frozen vehicles.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The Kanames' house was noisy at that afternoon.

"Did you put enough clothes? It'll be several days, huh?"

"Yes."

"And the phone?"

"In my pocket."

"What about the charger? Deodorant? Sanitary pads? Toothbrush?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Madoka and Junko went downstairs, carrying two filled travel bags. "Oh... Are we late?"

"There's still time." Homura was already waiting for them, carrying a more modest bag.

Tomohisa was waiting too, more worried. "Why so much? Madoka, you don't even know if her family will let you stay. The passage in the letter was for Homura-san only."

Junko rolled her eyes. "Oh no, no, we won't talk about it again."

"It's okay, dad, Homura told me they'll let me." Madoka winked at Homura. "Right?"

The girl with braids nodded quickly. "It's true. Their house is big, if I remember."

Tomohisa and Junko were curious about what she said.

Homura looked down. "They... may have made a renovation... I think..."

Junko shook her head and smiled. "Enough. I already bought the ticket for my beloved daughter's first trip to Tokyo! Kuku..."

"Yeah..." Madoka was embarrassed with her mother's excitement.

Tomohisa said, "I'm only worried that it bothers Homura-san's family."

Homura affirmed, "Actually they'll be grateful for you giving me shelter all this time."

"Hmmm..." He held his chin. "If they see it as a way to repay us, then it would be alright."

"I want to go!"

"Takkun?!" Madoka saw her little brother jump.

"I want to go! I want to see the big house of Homuranee!"

Junko narrowed her eyes. "You have to grow up a bit more to visit a 'big' house."

"Hey." Tomohisa held the excited boy. "Have you forgotten about the baseball game I'm going to take you?"

"Are you going to play with him too, Dad?" Madoka smiled.

"Don't even give that idea!" Junko exclaimed, "I don't want to take those two to the hospital."

Tomohisa was annoyed. "Junko... I'm not bad. I played for the college team."

"You stayed on the bench during the entire game, that's what you mean."

He closed his eyes and smiled. "I lacked charisma to convince our coach..."

"Uh-huh..." Junko made a face that she was not very convinced and headed toward the exit of the house. "The train won't wait for you."

After the farewells. Junko took the girls by car to the train station. Her driving was aggressive, accelerating too much and getting too close to other vehicles.

Madoka, who was in the passenger seat, was apprehensive. "Mom, we'll be on time, I don't think we need to be in such a hurry."

"I'm driving normal, it's the other drivers who decided to be lazy on holiday." In the rearview mirror, Junko saw Homura in the back seat along with the bags. "How's the luggage?"

"It's fine."

She turned her attention back to the street. "So, Homura-san, are you going to tell me about your family? You've always kept it a mystery, but now I'm going to leave my daughter to their care."

Homura remained silent.

Madoka commented, "They shouldn't be bad people."

"I'm not insinuating anything," said the mother, "but I know they have a big house. Are they rich, Homura-san?"

Homura spoke in a low voice, "He's an entrepreneur..."

"Who? Your father?"

Silence.

Junko sighed and turned the wheel more than she needed, making a sharp turn. "OK! And your mother? Could she and I be friends?"

Homura said without hesitation, "She's dead."

"Oh... My condolences. Has this been a long time? How she died?"

"Mom..." Madoka became apprehensive again.

Junko gave a quick glance at her and said, "People die. One day could be me, Madoka. You two are old enough to get used to this idea."

"Murder."

With the revelation of Homura, Junko stopped looking at her daughter, imagining the face she was doing. "So... That's why you avoid this subject so much. Who did this was caught? Were they punished?"

"Yes..."

"Justice was served," Junko continued, "but I won't say it's fair. This is a loss that changes our lives forever." Then she smiled. "What would happen if I died... I don't think I need to worry too much. Tomohisa wouldn't leave you in need of anything."

Madoka was crestfallen. "Yeah... He wouldn't."

"Money would be the problem. Your father would have to sell the house and find a more affordable place." Junko took her foot off the gas pedal. "Your college wouldn't be guaranteed."

"I'd try a scholarship." Madoka put her hands to her chest. "But, Mom, this is getting kind of macabre..."

"Kukuahaha... True." Junko looked at the rearview mirror. "Homura-san, if I could talk to your mother, I'd say you're a excellent friend of my daughter."

Homura looked away and slight moved her lips, but said nothing.

They parked in front of the station and soon Madoka and Homura were holding their luggage, ready to board.

Junko took a deep breath. "What are you waiting for? You have to look for your seats. I was lucky to buy the passage of the seat next to Homura-san's."

Madoka hugged her.

"Why all this? You're just going to visit your friend's home."

Madoka asked her, with suspicion, "Am I the one who's emotional?"

Junko pushed her daughter lightly, holding the shoulders. She raised her eyebrows and opened her eyes wide. "I want to see the photos later."

"Wehihi. Leave it to me."

Junko looked at the other girl. "Homura-san. I'll leave her with you."

Homura simply nodded.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Through the window, Madoka saw the landscape passing swiftly, they were already outside the urban perimeter of Mitakihara. A continuous hum and the occasional bumps reminded her that she was on rails. The horizon showed no sign of bad weather, as her father had said. "I think it'll still be day when we reach Tokyo."

Homura was in her seat with her arms crossed and eyes closed, trying to rest. "Don't worry about it."

"There'll be someone waiting, won't be?"

"I'll take care of that." She opened her eyes and sighed. "I feel like your mother forced you to come, because she wanted to know more about me."

"You got me." Madoka smiled. "I'm on a spying mission, but I wanted to come too!"

Homura pressed her lips together.

Making Madoka look more worried, and said in a softer voice, "I know you're anxious. It's very hard for you, but if there's something you want to tell me about your family..."

"Madoka..." Homura took the red glasses out of her pocket and examined it again.

The pinkette waited, making no sound or movement.

Homura slowly opened the frame and placed it on her face. "Do you have the hope that I might be the person you once knew?"

Madoka shook her head and the word she uttered carried honesty, "No."

Homura looked at her.

With that, Madoka could not contain a smile. "But you look cute like that, you can't deny it. Wehihi."

Homura lowered her eyes and smiled as well, but it was a tired smile, not up to the person she loved.

The landscape, which was almost rural, gradually became more urbanized. With each station that the train stopped, the area with rails widened and there were more trains passing by.

The afternoon was drawing to an end when Madoka could catch a glimpse of the great city ahead, a veritable wall of light. An endless number of buildings and panels with advertisements bathed her eyes.

The train began to slow down, and a female voice announced the instructions through the speakers, making it clear about the destination.

" _Tokyo Station._ "

"Madoka..." Homura took the luggage.

"Uh-huh..." She received her part of it.

The train stopped and a line formed for the exit.

Homura instructed, "Stay close to me."

The doors opened and a crowd took the platform. The girls followed the group to the stairs. They descended and found themselves in a labyrinth of lit corridors and stores, sings and turnstiles. Another female voice announced the arrivals and departures as hundreds of people crossed paths all the time.

"We need to descend more," Homura said.

Another flight of stairs and they were on another floor packed with people. Overwhelming sounds of conversation and smells came from the snack bars.

"Aren't you hungry, Homura?"

"We don't have time."

They reached an immense circular hall, where the ceiling was a dome at dozens meters high.

However, Homura was not there to appreciate the architecture. Soon she saw a man in a suit and tie, holding a sign on his chest where it was written:

 **Homura Akemi**

She gestured to Madoka. "Come."

When the man noticed the girls approaching, he quickly lowered the sing and straightened his posture.

Homura stopped in front of him and waited.

He then bowed. "Akemi-sama, I'm here to take you. Please, let me carry your bag, you shouldn't overextend yourself. I apologize for us not finding you at Mitakihara station to avoid this inconvenience."

Homura pressed her lips and nodded. "She is with me. She's my friend and will stay with us."

The man looked at Madoka with surprise.

The girl smiled and timidly waved.

Then the man spoke to Homura, "I'll have to communicate her."

She looked away. "Do it..."

"Excuse me..." The man walked away and made a cell phone call.

Madoka came closer to Homura and whispered, "Don't worry. If they don't allow, I have money to buy a ticket back." And she used telepathy. [ _And I can keep in touch with you through other means._ ]

Still on the cell phone, the man nodded. "Yes, a friend."

Homura glanced at her. "They will."

The man hung up the cell phone and returned. "Everything is alright. Please let me carry your luggage, too."

"Oh..." Madoka smiled. "You... don't need..." But then she noticed Homura looking intensely at her and shaking her head.

"Please..." The man held all the bags, plus the sing that was under his arm. "Follow me."

They left the building, coming to a large courtyard. From there it was possible to see the majestic gothic architecture of the station, made of red bricks, surrounded by modern skyscrapers. With so much light, it was impossible see the first stars of nightfall.

Madoka then found out where they were going. A black car of popular model, indistinguishable from the others that were parked.

The man opened the trunk and put the luggage inside, then opened the backseat door and gestured for them to enter. "Please, Akemi-sama and..."

"Madoka Kaname," she said with all sympathy, "and you are..."

"Madoka Kaname-san, please come in."

"Ah." She nodded and entered. Homura was already put her seatbelt, arms crossed, hiding her face in the shadows.

Soon the man came in, started the car and they left.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Relic**


	3. Relic

**Relic**

The car journey had lasted for a while and the scenery did not change much between the skyscrapers and the large residential condominiums.

Until that moment.

Suddenly, everything gave way to vegetation. There were still the poles, but the world beyond their light was darkness. The road was now going up, they had entered a hill zone.

After a short tunnel, the car turned to an even darker and deserted path. It was narrow to the point of the vehicle threatening to hit some branches of the trees at the side of the road. The air was colder.

Soon they began to pass by a large stone wall, taken by vines, and the road ended in a large iron gate. The car did not have to stop because the gate had opened.

The wheels made a soft sound as they roll over the gravel pathway of the courtyard of the three-story mansion, with an imposing European architecture of the redish front, with large white windows. The illumination that came from them, plus the lamp posts along the way, brought relief to the pitch black that surrounded the place.

The car stopped in front of the main entrance and the driver quickly got out of the vehicle and opened the door for Homura. Madoka barely had time to remove her seat belt and the man had already passed behind the car and opened her door.

The door of the house opened and two men in suits and ties appeared and went straight to the trunk to pick up the luggage. Women in maid clothes spied on what was happening from inside.

Madoka watched all that and Homura, who was beside her in silence, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

Another person came out of the house, a short woman. She wore a formal dress and high heels of dark green color, matching with her eyes and well combed short hair. The makeup was heavy, with red lipstick, but the white roots of her hair denoted she had some age. She stopped in front of Homura, smiling.

Madoka noticed that Homura had glanced at the woman and read her lips moving with hesitation, saying a name.

"Chi... haru..."

The woman slowly wrapped her arms around her and rested her head on the girl's shoulder. Her face twitched in an almost weeping expression, followed by a long sigh.

Meanwhile, Homura remained motionless.

"I came to think that I could never do that again," said the woman.

Homura asked, "Where's he?"

The woman pulled away, straightened her posture, and replied, "He will come tomorrow."

Homura clenched her fists.

The woman noticed the tension in her body, but she looked at the other girl.

Madoka hesitated a little before smiling. "Hi?"

"You must be the daughter of the Kaname family." The woman went toward her.

It was not only the voice, Madoka could feel a soothing fragrance coming from her. "Do you know about us?"

"We try to know to whom we will send our letters." She nodded. "But say your name."

"Madoka Kaname."

She bowed. "We are grateful to have taken care of Homura-san, Madoka Kaname-san." Then she said as she stood up, "I am Chiharu Nishimoto, the keeper of this house, please, which luggage is yours?"

Madoka pointed. "These two."

Chiharu looked at the men with the bags and they entered the mansion in a rapid pace.

Madoka heard the sound of the engine and the car leaving.

Chiharu clasped her hands together. "Let's go in? It's not healthy to be in the cool of the night."

They passed the great door and were in a room lit by a great chandelier. There were beautiful paintings on the walls and even on the ceiling, of Christian church themes. However, it was rather small compared to what had been seen from the outside. No more curious maids were there, but it was possible to hear the movement through the house.

Nothing compared to the sound of Chiharu's heels as she closed the doorway. "Kaname-san, we already prepared a room for you, accompany me."

"So my sister is alive."

The girls looked at one of the doors of the room and there was a boy leaning against the view. He was taller and appeared to be older than Madoka and Homura. His black hair was messy, its tips discolored, and he wore earrings and a chain around his neck, both silvery. The makeup turned the skin of his face like porcelain, and the long-sleeved shirt accentuated his slender body.

"Udo-san!" Chiharu scolded him, "you should not talk like that."

"Sorry..." With his hands in the pockets of his pants, he walked toward Homura, smiling. "How should I react to someone who stayed more than a year without giving any sings they still existed."

Madoka saw that Homura had lowered her head even more and her gaze did not know where to go.

"Hmmmm..." The boy leaned his face closer to hers. "You haven't changed since the last time I saw you, perhaps taller... How's your heart? Did the hospital staff treat you well? Daddy paid a lot."

"Udo-san..." Chiharu glared at him.

"What now? What did I say wrong? Or don't you care with the period she stayed in the hospital?"

The woman folded her arms and said, "Then choose your words better."

"Tssss..." He shrugged and turned his attention to another girl as he smiled again. "But you're the biggest surprise. How should I call you?"

She looked into his eyes, they were purplish as Homura, a little darker, evidenced by the mascara of his eyelashes. "I'm Madoka Kaname, a friend."

"Friend?!" The boy looked back at Homura. "Congratulations! You're making friends again. I knew it! I knew you could do it."

Homura turned her face.

Madoka was so focused on observing the other girl's visible discomfort that she barely noticed that the boy was in front of her after he took a big sidestep.

"I'm Udo Akemi, the brother she never told you."

"Eh?" Madoka did not have much to say about that truth.

Udo had. He leaned over and covered his mouth with his hand as he whispered, "She told you she's an orphan, right?"

Facing another truth, Madoka looked down, but then his fingers stroked her fringe.

Udo winked. "It's okay, I don't have hard feelin-"

Chiharu stepped between him and Madoka. "Udo-san, they've had a long journey and they're tired."

Udo walked away. "Yeah, I'll talk to them another time." Then he leaned over to see the girl behind the woman. "Yo, can I call you by the first name? 'Madoka' sounds nice."

"Sure."

"And call me Udo, you don't have to be polite with me, okay? This house is old, not me."

Chiharu took a deep breath, almost a snort.

"I wasn't referring to you." He went to another door in the room. "I'm going to get something to eat."

"Dinner will be served so-" The door closed before Chiharu could finish saying.

Then there was a silence. Madoka even thought the woman was going after him.

Chiharu, however, turned to the girls with a polite smile, as if nothing had happened. "Let's get going."

They followed the housekeeper to the door where Udo was before. There was a larger room, ending in a spiral staircase.

Chiharu began to instruct, "On this floor is where is the kitchen, the dining room, the restrooms and the library. Second and third floors are for the bedrooms, the second being used by the staff."

They went upstairs, listening to the creak of the wood.

"Kaname-san, your bags should be there by now. While I show you where it is, Homura-san will go to her room."

In this Homura said, "Nishimoto-san..."

The woman frowned. "Huh? Why are you calling me by the family name?"

Homura stopped. Crestfallen, she gathered her restless hands. "C-Chiharu-san, could you show where my room is to Madoka?"

"I intend to do this after I show hers."

"I... would like..." Homura struggled to hide the grinding of her teeth. "... that you do this first."

Chiharu shook her head, not understanding the importance of it, but said, "Yes, of course..."

They continued up to the third floor. Madoka felt the slow and heavy step of the other girl, it was as if at that moment Homura had gone back to being who she said she was no longer. [ _What is wrong?_ ]

Homura closed her eyes and sighed. [ _I do not remember where my room is._ ]

Madoka did not ask any more questions.

The third floor had long hallways with many doors, it would remind a hotel if it were not for the lack of room numbers. They intersected, forming an intricate web where someone without knowledge could end up walking in circles.

It was not the case of Chiharu, who soon found the bag of Homura on the floor in front of a door. "Oh... I forgot to tell you." She turned to the girl. "Your father asked you to keep your room the way it was when you left to Mitakihara. None of the staff got inside but me."

Madoka saw Homura nod, but that news had not left the girl with glasses happier.

"Well, but he should wait for you and not leave your bag on the floor. I apologize." Chiharu gripped the doorknob.

And Homura too. "No. I... I want to enter alone."

Leaving the housekeeper confused. "Didn't you want to show the room to your friend?"

"I wanted to show you _where_ it was."

Madoka manifested, "Ehhh... It's okay Chiharu-san... Can I call you this way?"

"Huh? Yes of course."

The distraction of Chiharu was enough for Homura to take the bag and enter the dark room. "I'll check if everything is in order... and I'll find a space for my bag. Madoka, we'll talk later."

"Yes!I-"

She closed the solid wood door, making more noise than she expected, but the abrupt silence that followed was an invitation to release her anguished breath.

The darkness did not matter, Homura could already feel the weight of that place. Even the subtle scent of stagnant air said a lot. She turned slowly, and the first thing she saw was the light coming from the window, from the illumination of outside. Her eyes quickly got accustomed to the gloom, perhaps too quickly, and she could see her bed just below the window. The nightstand beside bed had on it a music box and an alarm clock.

 _Strange._

The alarm clock had an old look, with hands and a pair of bells, but Homura did not recognize it. It was not the fact that she did not remember, but she just remembered that there should not be that object in her room. Chiharu would not make such a mistake, so it was clear what that meant.

 _I don't belong to this time... So even the past contains anomalies._

However, Homura was aware that certain things do not change and never will. On the floor, next to the closet, was a large doll house, empty and lifeless. Whoever lived there was gone.

Shadows began to dance behind the house and Homura felt a chill down her spine. An ordinary person might think it was the branches of some tree in the yard that were coalescing those images. She did not have that luxury.

Then black hats, of various shapes, emerged soon followed by their respective owners, with glassy eyes of faint bluish glow, pale and smooth faces with wide open smiles.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Madoka and Chiharu were staring at the door. It had been a few minutes.

"It looks like everything is fine. I was very thorough with this room." The housekeeper came with an inviting look at the girl. "Let's go."

They walked the long corridors in silence. Madoka almost continued when the woman stopped at a door.

"I chose this room because the furniture is in good condition. It's close to Hiroshi-sama's suite." Chiharu put her hand on the doorknob, but then looked at the girl. "Hiroshi-sama is her father."

Madoka nodded.

Chiharu asked, more serious, "Is it true?"

"What?"

"Is it true what Udo-san told you? That Homura-san told you she was an orphan?"

Madoka looked away slightly and nodded again.

Chiharu stared at her for a while before returning her attention to the door and opening it. "It's a lie."

As soon as the light went on, Madoka found herself in the midst of refinement. Everything was made with high quality wood, with swans engravings, very clean and polished. On bed rest her two bags and what was in them barely would occupy the space of the large closet.

Chiharu went to the window and pushed the curtains. Madoka approached and saw through it the gardens of the house, including a large hedge maze. More distant, beyond the top of the vegetation that surrounded the place, it was possible to see the city like a carpet of light, which made a long curve.

"There is Sagami Bay," said the woman, "if tomorrow we have a clean weather, you will have Mount Fuji on the horizon."

Madoka turned to her and bowed, "I'm so grateful to be here."

"Have you memorized the way?"

The girl nodded slowly. "Yes..."

"Visitors already got lost here, don't be ashamed." Chiharu left the room. "Let's go back, I still have some rooms to show you."

When they returned to the hall, Madoka commented, "A lot of people work here."

"Most will leave tomorrow morning. They were only here to prepare the house for the arrival of Hiroshi-sama. He actually lives in Yokohama and is a man who appreciates discretion and isolation."

They went down the stairs, back to the first floor.

While Chiharu continued, "This house was built when Tokyo was still known as Edo, as an unofficial embassy for foreigners. It resisted attacks and occupations of rebels and also the great Kantou earthquake."

The housekeeper opened the door, showing the girl a modest in size but luxurious restroom.

"In the second World War, it finally turned to ashes along with Tokyo. With the end of the war there was much to rebuild, it was where Hiroshi-sama's father saw the opportunity."

Chiharu opened a double door, showing a larger room lit by another magnificent chandelier, beneath it a round table and chairs. Near the walls stood pedestals with scaled-down replicas of famous European sculptures. "And this is the dining room..."

"So he inherited from his father the company," Madoka said, "it was he who rebuilt this place."

The woman nodded. "It was not just a reconstruction, the structure was modernized and the courtyard expanded. This house was the wedding gift for his wife, who had many memories of Europe."

"Homura told me she died."

Chiharu closed the door and invited, "Do you want to meet her?"

They went to another closed door. This time Chiharu took a bundle of keys so she could unlock it. "When Hiroshi-sama comes, do not tell him you were here."

"Uh-huh."

Immediately come the smell of old paper. It was the library, with shelves that reached the ceiling, but there was also a bar with a selection of distilled or fermented drinks. On a large carpet were comfortable armchairs, all facing an altar with a gramophone and a picture frame of a woman with long, dark hair like Homura's, with a graceful burgundy gaze.

Chiharu whispered, "Come."

They stood in front of the altar. The housekeeper folded her hands together and prayed in silence.

Madoka did the same.

After contemplating for a while the woman's visage in the photo, Chiharu asked a question, "Homura-san... She even told you what happened?"

The girl could feel some fear in those words, but she did not hesitate to answer, "She was murdered."

"It's a lie!"

Madoka pressed her lips together and looked at Chiharu.

The woman was holding her hand on her mouth, sighing and then said, shaking her head, "It's a cruel lie that keeps repeating and repeating..." She composed herself. "When I was young, I met Ai Akemi briefly, but I could see the bold and determined stance she had. I was not surprised by the choice she made."

Madoka looked down.

"Do you want to know how she died?" Chiharu looked at the girl, with a subtle anger in her voice, "she died to give life to Homura-san. That's the only truth."

The two bowed to the altar and left the room.

Chiharu locked the door well. "Remember my warning, be discreet to what you have seen and heard here."

"I'll never forget," Madoka affirmed.

"Very well." Chiharu smiled politely. "I'll go to the kitchen to check if dinner's ready, meanwhile feel at ease. I believe you'll check how Homura-san is."

"I guess I'm a bit predictable." Madoka shared the smile.

"Be careful not to get lost." Chiharu left. "Scream if you need, no one will criticize you for it."

"Thank you."

Already back to the third floor, Madoka was soon facing the door of Homura's room, which was still closed.

And no sound was coming through it.

Madoka gave light knocks on the door and waited for a long time. However, no one opened it, nor a simple answer.

"Homura?" This time, Madoka touched the door with the open palm, feeling the hard wood.

Silence.

With the other, she reached for the cold metal knob and turned slowly.

[ _Madoka._ ]

The voice was in her mind, but Madoka felt it coming from inside the room. [ _Why telepathy? Why don't you open the door?_ ]

[ _I'm resting._ ]

Madoka brought her face closer to the door. [ _We'll have dinner. I believe it must be a very special one for your coming._ ]

[ _Tell Chiharu-san that I'm indisposed. She'll understand..._ ]

[ _But this will make her worried. This is unnece-_ ]

[ _Madoka._ ]

The girl at the door closed her eyes and lowered her head.

[ _I..._ ] There was a long pause before Homura's voice manifested again. [ _It's too much._ ]

The hand touching the door went down the rough surface.

[ _I'll be better tomorrow._ ]

Madoka took off her hand from the doorknob and walked away from the door. She then lifted her head and smiled. "Right! But if the food is delicious, I'll tell you all the details."

[ _Enjoy._ ]

The enthusiasm was soon gone, but Madoka kept smiling. "Good night, Homura!"

[ _You don't have to speak so loud._ ]

"I thought you couldn't hear me well," she retorted.

A voice came from the door, muffled but discernible, "Good night, Madoka."

The girl headed for the staircase. She was a little more pleased, but it was not enough, something she did not hide in her expression.

That was when she saw it.

The large window at the staircase showed the stars in the sky, watching over that home under siege of shadows.

And Madoka nodded slightly at them.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Welcoming**


	4. Welcoming

**Welcoming**

The morning light passed through the curtains, bathing the loose hair of Homura, who was sitting on the bed with a tired countenance.

 _This is not a dream. I'm back to this place._

She stared at the ring in her left hand, at the runes she could read clearly.

 _After all that's happened, I'm back to this place..._

She heard a creak and so looked at the closet.

One of the doors was ajar, where inhuman blue eyes peered out.

Homura changed her posture to a firmer one. "Stay where you're."

The door opened and like an avalanche the children collapsed inside the room.

"What are you doing?!"

The children helped each other to get up, checking and reconnecting any part which had dropped.

Homura got out of bed promptly and began to push them back into the closet. "Begone. I'm... not... with patience to..." She noticed that one of her children was different.

It was Mie, dressed in a black ballerina costume. She greeted her mistress by pulling the ends of her skirt and bowing to her.

"T-Take it off!" Homura ripped off her child's dress, letting it fall to the floor.

Mie hugged herself, trying to hide her featureless bare body of wax.

Homura was still thinking about the sermon she would give when she heard a familiar melody.

This time was Noroma who had opened the music box.

She rushed to close it and scolded her, "Never touch...!"

The child held a small ballerina of plastic and was about to put it in her mouth.

"Noroma..."

Confused, the child looked at her mistress.

Homura gritted her teeth to make it clear. "Don't..."

However the child, still looking at her, opened her mouth wide to chomp the ballerina.

In a lunge, Homura was able to take the object from her child.

The other children were playing with the doll house, opening all the doors and windows, their glass eyes curious to know what was inside.

Seeing that, the girl sighed and opened the music box to put the ballerina inside, just a little so the music would not start.

"Homura-san, are you awake?"

The sudden voice of Chiharu. She turned and saw the door opening.

Her children too, stopping what they were doing.

She only had an instant.

Homura grabbed the alarm clock beside the music box. The edges of the object were filled with the lilac light of her magic. When reached its hands, they stopped just like the world. She gulped when saw Chiharu beneath the faded veil, still partially behind the door. Apparently, she had not noticed anything yet.

The clock began to vibrate and the metal to crack.

Time was a tremendous force, going against its whim even for a simple grain of sand was an absurd idea and here she was holding it, of all the universe, in an artifact built by imperfect human hands.

Homura knew that. She concentrated on her free hand, ready to conjure an hourglass.

The clock burst and its pieces scattered on the floor.

The door opened, with Chiharu already jumping in fright. "Ahhh!"

It was too late. Homura turned pale.

The dolls switched their eyes to green and red and their mouths were covered with sharp teeth, while Mie jumped into the closet.

With her hand on her chest and breathing deeply, Chiharu approached where Homura was.

The girl gritted her teeth and shook her head frantically so that she would not come.

However, Chiharu was paying attention to the shattered alarm clock. "Oh... What a mess..."

Homura's eyes widened while panting.

It was then that Chiharu realized. "Homura-san?" She touched the girl's face. "Oh! You're cold! Is it your heart?"

Confused, Homura lowered her head and hugged herself, trying to recover. "N-No... I'm just scared... with the clock." She glanced at the dolls, which were static and shifting their faces to their less threatening aspect.

Chiharu was still a little worried about her reaction. "Yes, it made a lot of noise when it hit the floor. I did not think it was so fragile." Then she looked at the dollhouse. "It's not a big loss, you never liked this gift from your father compared to..."

Homura shuddered. Chiharu was looking directly at the dolls and the girl was certain the woman had noticed something.

The housekeeper walked, the dolls making their way to her with their curious glances, and took the ballerina costume on the floor. After searching for any damage in the fabric, she consulted Homura.

The girl looked away.

"Your father asked me to leave everything as it was." Chiharu leaned into the closet to put the costume back on the hanger. "I'm sorry if you wanted me to remove them."

"I don't care about that anymore."

"Then why did you remove all the costumes from the clothes hangers and drop them at the bottom of the closet?"

Homura frowned.

Mie, already in her original dress, crawled out of the closet, passing between Chiharu's legs. When she got up, her head was partially caught under the woman's skirt, almost lifting it as well.

The other dolls laughed in silence.

Chiharu closed the closet door and straightened her skirt. "Right, I'll get someone to clean your room. In the meantime you should have your breakfast, I won't allow you to stay any longer without eating."

Homura sighed. "Okay..." She thought the housekeeper would leave after saying that.

Quite the opposite. "But what is this?" The woman went to the bag on the bed. "Did you not take anything out of here?"

Homura muttered, "I'm only going to stay here for a few days."

Chiharu started rummaging through the bag. "Where are your medicines? Are you following what the doctor prescribed?"

"If I were not, I'd be dead by now."

She picked up the boxes, there were more than twenty, and read the labels of each one, "Hydrochlorothiazide, Amiodarone, Sodalol Chloridate..." Then she brought one of them close to her eyes. "I should have brought my glasses."

Homura looked at the label. "Remifentanil, an analgesic."

Chiharu raised her eyebrows. "Did you read?"

The girl glanced at the pair of glasses she had left on the nightstand. "I recognized by the color of the box."

The woman stared at her for a moment and then nodded, putting the box back in the bag. "And where is the blood pressure monitor?"

Homura's eyes widened.

Chiharu understood. "Thank God we have one here. I'll bring it." As she turned to leave, her arm was held, a firm grip.

With her surprise, Homura released her. "Please... Bring, but let me do it myself. I'm able to."

"'Or I would be already dead,'" the woman mimicked what the girl had said, squinting her eyes, "fine, but at least wash yourself and change those clothes. After all this time, your father expects to meet a daughter, not a corpse."

Homura held her tremors until Chiharu left. She then looked at her children, murmuring to herself, "She can't see them..."

"Good morning!" Madoka entered the room without ceremony. "Oh!"

The dolls widened their smiles and surrounded her.

Madoka opened her arms and offered her palms to receive the could touches of those wax hands. "Wehihi! So Homura didn't sleep alone."

Seeing that scene, Homura folded her arms and turned her face. At this she noticed that Ibari was next to her, also with her arms crossed, just like Ganko. While Ibari lifted her chin, Ganko lowered her head and tried to make a grumpy face.

Madoka approached Homura, looking at the clock pieces scattered on the floor. "I saw Chiharu-san coming out of the room in a hurry."

"It was nothing, only an accident."

"Really?"

Homura glanced at her, feeling that this was not exactly a question.

"You stopped time."

She closed her eyes and sighed.

"You were afraid she could see your familiars." Madoka continued to smile. "But a witch, if she wants it, can hide her nature from the common sight."

Homura looked at her with conviction and said, "I feared that Chiharu-san would be hurt."

Madoka's smile disappeared. "You wish for that?"

Homura winced. "Of course not!" She then went to the nightstand and picked up her glasses as she tried to ease her breathing. When she turned she saw that Madoka was already distracted with the dollhouse.

"So big, isn't it? It's amazing," the pinkette commented.

"Big and empty. There's nothing to see here." Homura approached. "I'll go to the bathroom."

"Can I help you?" Madoka showed her hands imitating claws.

Homura held a lock of her loose hair. "Sure..."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"Yesterday's dinner was very light. Chiharu-san has been quite careful about your condition."

With her braids tightly tied, Homura headed toward the staircase.

With Madoka. "She's always thinking about your well being."

"This is her job," Homura said coldly.

Madoka looked at her, raising the eyebrows. "Are you sure it's just that?"

Homura pondered the question and replied without changing her expression, "She's being paid well."

They went downstairs and found the housekeeper waiting for them.

Seeing how Homura was, Chiharu smiled with satisfaction. "Please, come with me."

They went to a pair of French doors that led to a large veranda, where there was a long cobblestone path that continued up to a swimming pool.

There was a table on the veranda, with a traditional breakfast of soup, fermented soybeans and omelet, plus fruit. A boy who was sitting at it, greeted them, "Good morning. I was already thinking that I'd eat alone, even though there's a beautiful girl and my beloved sister at home."

"Good morning." Madoka smiled at him, somewhat embarrassed.

Homura ignored him completely and sat down.

Chiharu looked at him cross-eyed.

Udo noticed and made an exaggerated gesture with his hand to her, and bowed in an act of homage. "I haven't forgotten you. I'm so thankful for this rich meal."

"Set aside these elaborate graces," replied the housekeeper, "listening to me would be much better."

While she sat, Madoka felt the need to intervene. "He's right. This place, the tablecloth and the bowls, everything is lovely."

Chiharu smiled again. "That's nothing."

"Don't you want to sit with us?" the girl invited.

"I already had breakfast with the other employees."

Under the watch of the woman, the three thanked for the food and began to eat in silence.

Homura reached for an apple.

Making Udo frown. "Look, my sister is eating solids now."

The girl pressed her lips together and made a motion that she would return it to the fruit bowl.

"Oops!" Udo quickly got up from the chair and stopped her, pushing the fruit and starting a dispute. "Sorry about what I said."

"Udo-san!" Chiharu exclaimed.

Without any effort Homura won the contest and put the apple back as he tried to explain to the housekeeper. "My bad! But I was surprised, didn't you too?"

"I did." Chiharu folded her arms and said harshly, "But expressing this is something completely different. The tongue is a weapon that hurts deeply."

Udo nodded and made a sign of peace as he sat down again.

Homura stayed only with the soup, where she brought the bowl to her mouth, without looking at anyone. She did everything mechanically, even the act of taking off her foggy glasses.

Madoka was watching her, chewing slowly, feeling the tension still lingering in the air.

Udo, however, was already smiling. "Ow, Madoka."

"Hi?" Even to her, having someone of the opposite sex, who was not from her family, calling her that way was still odd.

"How was that disaster in Mitakihara? I saw that even some skyscrapers were torn away by the wind. How did you survive?"

She smiled a little. "Just like everyone else, I think... I stayed with my family in an emergency shelter until the storm passed."

"Then you didn't see anything." Udo was disappointed. "Were you friends with my sister already at this time?"

Madoka stopped eating and clasped her hands together. "Ah yes! We study in the same classroom."

"Cool... but you must have been pretty worried about her that day."

"She was with me in the shelter."

"Yeah?" Udo scratched his neck and pulled the chain wrapped around it. "This is weird."

Madoka raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"The shelters have records of who entered them. Dad searched all of them and didn't find her name." Udo looked at an empty spot and shook her head. "He was so desperate. I hadn't seen him like this since mom's death."

Homura continued to sip the soup, making as little noise as possible.

"Are you finished eating, Udo-san?" Chiharu asked, quite annoyed.

"I will! I will!" The boy returned his attention to his omelet.

While Madoka gave a final word. "Ummm... Probably they forgot to do this, the situation was chaotic..."

The silence lasted until they finished their meal, which was when Udo pulled a smartphone out of his pocket.

"No phones at table," the woman warned.

"It's quick." He lit the screen of the device. "I spent the night studying the city of Mitakihara, I'm an expert now. I just need to remember the name... Aha!" Jubilantly, he soon asked Madoka, "and how is Shirome, does have cool people in there?"

She replied, "I study elsewhere, known as Mitakihara school."

Udo furrowed his eyebrows. "But you just told me that my sister was studying with you in the same classroom." Then he looked at Homura.

The girl had her face turned, partially hidden with a hesitant hand near her mouth.

"Udo-san, go to your room," Chiharu said.

Using his entire arm, he pointed to his sister as he asked the woman, "Did you know that?"

"My patience has run out." The housekeeper was more energetic. "To your room, now!"

He rose with his hands up. "All right! All right..."

"Quick!" She stamped her foot.

Udo obeyed, but as he passed behind her he stopped and winked at Madoka.

The girl was curious about what he intended to do.

Using his hands, he mimicked a pair of horns on Chiharu's head and then he began to make faces.

Madoka put her hand on her mouth to avoid laughing.

"Uh?" Chiharu turned, but Udo was already far away. "What's it? What happened?"

"He was acting funny," the girl said.

The woman sighed. "I apologize for Udo-san's attitude. He still thinks the world revolves around his desires."

Looking more calm, Homura put her glasses back on.

Chiharu made a polite smile. "Homura-san, your father expects to arrive around lunchtime. Be ready for the occasion."

Homura got up from her chair. "Thank you..." And left.

Not waiting for Madoka. "Ah!" She stood up quickly. "Chiharu-san, the breakfast was great!" She managed to reach the other girl in the bathroom, where they brushed their teeth together.

At that moment she noticed that Homura continued with methodical movements, as if it were a robot following a routine.

They returned to the third floor, when Madoka tried to break the ice. "Do you want to see the room that Chiharu-san chose for me?"

"I already have a good idea of what it looks like," Homura replied with no emotion.

When they reached the entrance to Homura's room, she soon opened it.

"Are you... going to stay in your room again?"

With Madoka's question, she stopped and whispered, "Chiharu-san is already suspicious of me, I must avoid exposing myself too much. Understood?"

"Uh-huh..."

"Good." Homura entered the room.

Madoka would follow her, but the door closed in her face. She drew back, pressing her lips together. "Yes, I understood..." Alone, she returned to her room.

The window showed a cloudy day, she could only see the foot of Mount Fuji. At least it was possible to be distracted seeing the movement of boats in the bay.

On the bed, her phone gave a sign of life.

"It must be mom." However, Madoka was surprised to see whose message it was.

 **Blue Drop**

"Sayaka-chan..." She then opened it.

 **Hiiii! All quiet here in Hokkaido (a bit cold too T_T, the wind here is awful). We only found witches in Sapporo, Kyouko and I are going to look for magical girls in the fisherman villages. How are you? Is she still living with you?**

Madoka remembered that she had not seen her friend in a while. If all went well, they would meet soon. For now, she would have to answer that message and erase it.

And as expected, there was a message from her mother as well.

 **Did you arrive in Tokyo? You met her family?**

This reminded Madoka of something else. "I better start taking some photos..."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The hours passed.

Lying on the bed, Madoka counted them. For someone who had the taste of eternity, it could mean nothing. Yet for her, in that place with those people, every infinitesimal moment was precious.

Just like that melody that started. Simple yet cozy notes, even with the walls dampening them.

Madoka got up and went into the corridor, following that sound without hesitation, until she reached the open door of a room where Udo on the bed played a guitar.

He was surprised by the presence. "Well... if I remember, it's the mermaids' songs that attract men, not the other way around."

"I'm pretty sure this is a misconception." Madoka smiled.

The mess in the room contrasted with the luxury. Posters of pop bands and crumpled clothes covered the high quality wood.

Udo tossed a pair of used briefs, liberating a space in the bed. "Sit here. Don't mind much, _okay_? I do it to make myself feel at home."

Madoka accepted the invitation. "But you lived here."

"Yeah..." He raised his drawn eyebrows. "But this place ceased to be a home a long time ago." Then he asked, "Why aren't you with my sister? Is she alone in her bedroom?"

Madoka nodded.

Udo smiled and shook his head. "Homura... She's grumpier than ever. It can't be helped, when your dreams die..."

"Yours is to be a musician."

Udo was puzzled. "Is that a question?"

"Is it still for you?" Madoka frowned. "You look like an idol."

He returned to smile. "Yup! I'm a drummer from a school band. Too bad I can't bring the instruments here."

"Are you good?"

"We're the best!" Udo's excitement was short. "At least at school. We're not professionals yet and I don't think I can be..."

"Doesn't your father like what you do?"

"Hmmm..." He grimaced while he thought. "It's not that, it's more... It's more that he doesn't understand, you know. His business is contracts and constructions. He doesn't want to risk investing in my career, especially since he has no contacts that can help us." He put his hands behind his head as he stared at the ceiling. "If mom was alive, things could be different."

Madoka said in a more melancholic tone, "Would this also be true for Homura?"

Udo was curious, for he felt somehow that question was not just for him.

She continued, "Upon arriving here, she even talked to Chiharu-san, but with you, being her brother, she hasn't exchanged a word since."

The boy agreed, scratching his forehead. "See, after mom's death, everything got worse. Our dad was never the same, now imagine me, a little boy. Now imagine my sister, a baby, the reason our mom died, and we needed to take care of her."

Madoka looked away and brought her hand to her chest hearing that.

Udo gaped at the reaction, then sighed and shook his head. "It was a bad past for us all. I got over it, but there are people who don't."

"If you overcame this, don't you think you can do something for her?"

Udo frowned. "Have you ever helped her?"

Madoka lowered her head and smiled. "I always try."

"I think you have more chances than I do, being a girl..."

She glanced at him. "But you have something in common with her that I don't have. A dream that has come to an end, awaiting the dawn of a new day."

" _Wow_! Are you a composer? I liked that one." Udo smirked. "You know, when I saw you I thought you're cute and shy. Now I don't even know how to describe, you're something... special. For real."

"I already wished to be special." Madoka's gaze was contemplating the emptiness. "Talents, privileges, responsibilities... I've learned that they don't always matter when you need to help others."

"My sister is blessed to have you as a friend..." Still sitting on the bed, he turned to her. "Hey! I want to be your friend too!"

"Wehihi..."

He prepared the guitar. "I'll convince you with this song. Do you want to listen?"

The growing sound of an approaching helicopter could be heard.

Udo rolled his eyes and dropped himself on the bed. "Oh no..."

Madoka rose. "Is it him?"

With his face buried in the mattress, his confirmation came muffled. "Yep."

"Aren't you coming?"

"Hmmm..." The boy rolled over the bed and gestured at her. "You can go ahead."

She left the room and hurried down the corridors until she came across Homura, who had just opened the door.

The girl with braids had a gloomy face.

This did not intimidate Madoka, who made use of telepathy due to the deafening sound coming from the outside. [ _Your father arrived._ ]

Homura looked at her, an inquiring look. [ _Where were you?_ ]

The sudden question made Madoka blink and shrug. [ _Here, inside the house._ ]

"Homura-san!" Chiharu's call came from the staircase.

Homura's gaze became less intense and she closed the door, making sure no doll had escaped. [ _Let's go._ ]

The girls joined Chiharu in the courtyard where the helicopter had already landed.

The blades were still spinning when the door opened and a man left the vehicle. His hair was gray, almost white, but he was not bald. He appeared to be thin and his facial skin had spots, marked by age. He was wearing sunglasses and a button shirt, carrying a suit and tie on his arm.

Chiharu whispered to Homura, "Come closer."

The girl sighed and resignedly obeyed.

And Madoka followed her. They both stopped halfway.

The man walked slowly, but willingly, his lustrous shoe crushed the grass until he stopped in front of Homura.

He was not tall, not an imposing figure, but Madoka saw a Homura with head lowered and hands together on the belly, like a submissive statue.

The man examined her from head to toe before uttering in a cold voice, "We will talk..." Then he looked at the other girl.

Madoka bowed. "Hi."

Just as he did with Homura, he examined her without showing any expression, yet even with dark glasses it was possible to feel his piercing gaze.

Madoka smiled slightly.

He made an almost imperceptibly nod and headed toward the mansion.

"Welcome, Hiroshi-sama." Chiharu bowed. "Your room is ready and lunch will be served soon. I instruct the kitchen to prepare grilled tuna how you like."

"Where's Udo?" Hiroshi asked.

Chiharu bowed even more. "He must be in his room, sleeping... probably. I should have called him."

"I'm here!" Udo left the house, happily. "Is everything all right, daddy? Have you signed any new contracts?"

This time, Hiroshi was harsher. "Where's your manners?"

"Ow, wait!" Udo stepped back. "What do you mean? I'm here to greet you, aren't I?"

At the beginning of that discussion, Chiharu kept her composure without looking at them.

It was not the case of Madoka, who was worried with what was unfolding.

Homura was still, but she also looked at the scene out of the corner of her eye.

"You embarrass me once more!" Hiroshi pointed at the girls aggressively. "You bring me another girl, whom I doubt you have a proper relationship, and yet you have the nerve to leave her alone, without you to introduce her to me!"

Udo frowned and shook his head. "I don't have anything with this girl. She's a friend of Homura."

"She's a friend of..." Hiroshi did not finish repeating the sentence, his mouth hanging open. He turned and returned to where Madoka was.

She waited without reacting.

He removed his glasses, revealing who Homura had inherited her eyes. "Your name."

"Madoka Kaname."

"Kaname..." Hiroshi said that name with great regret and then bowed. "I apologize for my hasty judgment. I, Hiroshi Akemi, Homura's father, should only have been thankful that you helped her."

Chiharu hurried and bowed again to him. "It's my fault! I did not tell you about her, I-I wanted to make a surprise. I did not expect-"

Hiroshi raised his hand.

She silenced immediately.

"No need to apologize." Hiroshi looked at his daughter. "It's a good surprise..."

Homura had closed her eyes.

He turned his attention back to Madoka. "This house is open for you. I hope you're comfortable."

Madoka nodded and smiled. "I am."

"Anything you need, ask for Chiharu-san or Ichiro, they can arrange it. Excuse me..." Hiroshi left her, going to the house.

Udo waited for him to pass before commenting to himself, "What a slip..."

The pilot of the helicopter had already made the last checks and went towards them. He was tall and very handsome, with a straight and short dark hair, he could very well do a modeling work. His eyes were burgundy and had pale skin. His tie was still tied to his collar and he put his suit on his arm. He first approached Homura.

The girl lifted her eyes once and then did not look at him again.

"It's good to see that you're well, sister," the young man said, with an expression of grief.

Madoka watched his face shift to something lighter as his attention turned to her.

"I saw my father apologizing to you. I hope his temper did not scare you too much."

She was embarrassed. "No, it was just a misunderstanding."

"Good." He bowed. "I'm Ichiro Akemi. Are you my sister's colleague?"

"She's from the Kanames family," Chiharu said.

"Oh..." Ichiro did not contain his surprise. "It's a great pleasure to meet you."

"My name is Madoka Kaname." She bowed. "It's my pleasure to meet my friend's family personally."

"Hmm..." He loosened his tie and said playfully, "Our family is a bit too rich, try not to be intimidated."

"It's a bit too hard." She winked, following the idea.

Then he whispered, pointing with his head, "And be careful with that fellow over there."

Madoka looked at the distant Udo, who waved to them. "Right..."

Ichiro made mention that he would leave, but stopped. "Ah!"

Madoka raised her eyebrows, yearning for what he was going to say.

However, his words addressed Chiharu. "I almost forgot to tell you how more magnificent you look every time I see you."

The woman narrowed her gaze and also said in jest, "What have you been up to, silly boy?"

He just replied with a smile and went to the house.

Before that, Udo charged at him with his shoulder. "Hey big bro! Be careful not to crumple your clothes!"

Ichiro returned the attack, almost knocking down the slim boy. "Weak as always..."

Udo made a face of pain, but the smile was not gone. "Why didn't you bring some girls?"

"Huh?"

"You plus that helicopter there... Any cutie would accept if you invited her to spend the week with us."

Ichiro was not believing. "With our father?"

Udo opened his arms. "Ahh... He wouldn't even mind. You know how he changes when he's here."

"Forget it." Ichiro grew more serious.

"Ahhh..." Udo lifted his head, his mouth gaping and rolling his eyes. "It's too boring heeeere!"

Ichiro put his hand on his brother's shoulder, leading him into the house. "If I remember correctly, you didn't think that way."

"That place no longer exists, it's gone."

"Indeed..."

Chiharu gestured for the girls to accompany her, soon they were already inside. Then the housekeeper left them. "I'll be in the kitchen."

Standing in the hall, Madoka tried to exchange glances with the other girl, but she did not react. "Homura..."

"Homura!"

A much more austere voice could be heard, it was Hiroshi looking at them as he wiped a pair of transparent glasses and entered a corridor.

Homura clearly understood that she needed to follow him.

"It's going to be okay."

She finally looked at Madoka, who nodded at her with a confident expression. None of that mattered, neither those words nor those attitudes, for she knew where she was going.

She went alone. Walking down the corridor, Homura felt her head tingle, seething with memories, like the image of that man, who took a key from his wallet to unlock the door to that room.

She entered first. In appropriately calculated steps, she positioned herself within that library. The first thing she focused on was the altar, at the portrait of a smiling doll with long black hair.

She blinked.

The image of a woman, of someone she would only know that way.

Hiroshi closed the door, passed in front of his daughter and leaned on one of the seats, lowering his head and sighing. "Do you have any idea?"

To Homura that was the easiest part, she did not have to say anything.

He turned and said, more aggressively, "You do have, no one would do that if they had not." He sighed again and took a handkerchief in his pocket to pass on his forehead. "As soon as I heard of the chaos and destruction in Mitakihara, I called you."

It was just to keep her eyes down and listening.

"I knew it was futile, but I called. Then I discovered that the place I rented for you to live in had been completely destroyed. They found their belongings, but no body..." Hiroshi's lips quivered as the wrinkles in his skin stretched with tension. "I looked for you in the hospitals, in the shelters, even in the morgue. Then... I looked at the school you should be studying, Shirome, and they never saw you, your name was not there."

It was just to keep an impassive countenance.

"You know what I thought? That you had run away, that you could be, alive or dead, in any ditch or cesspit of that country." He nodded slowly, speaking in a lower tone. "And I could not report your disappearance. People would think I abandoned you, that I left you to your fate in Mitakihara." Then he raised it again. "But we had a deal, hadn't we?"

It was just to keep.

With the silence that ensued, he nervously ran a hand through his hair. "It was your brother Ichiro who gave the idea of looking for some record of you in that school where we are building. When we found, I couldn't believe, what were you thinking? They found out you were living with another family, of that girl you brought here."

"'They'?" Homura murmured, "so you sent someone to spy on me."

"WHAT DID YOU SUPPOSE I WOULD DO?!"

Homura flinched. She had made a mistake, but, feeling deep down in her conscience, it might not be. What she was trying to keep was an illusion that could no longer hide her core.

"If you did not want to receive visits from me at the hospital, nor from your brothers, I accepted that!" Heaving his chest, he pointed at her. "But a daughter simply disappears, as if she did not exist, no father deserves it. NO FATHER!"

Homura closed her eyes and wrinkled her chin. It wanted to burst out of her.

Hiroshi adjusted his glasses as he calmed his mood and started walking. "See, I forgive you."

She reopened her eyes to follow his movements, following a path her memories predicted. First, he would go to the bar and get two glasses.

"But what that means is up to you."

Then it would be the drink, as expected, he would start with something traditional. He filled the two glasses with sake.

"This impasse between us can not continue, there's no more time, the future urges..."

The next steps would be toward the altar, where he left the glasses, one in front of the portrait of that woman.

"The surgery allowed you this, you should hold this opportunity."

Then he caressed the cold tube of the gramophone and picked up a cover on the shelf, where he carefully removed a record.

"You're alive, you can always start over..."

"Start over?"

Hiroshi did not recognize that voice at first. He could scarcely remember the times his daughter spoke aloud, and definitely never with a cold sarcasm. He looked at her to be sure.

Homura was no longer with her head down, her face, her stance firm, of a passive grudge. "Coming from you, it's a hideous irony."

He widened his eyes. "What happened to you?!"

"What you always wanted." She went to the door. "I have matured."

As soon as she opened it, Hiroshi raised his voice. "This is not over!"

In a sudden movement, she turned her head with an intense glare at him.

Hiroshi fell silent.

Homura looked away and said, "We both know this was over before it began, Hiroshi-san."

The door closed and he was alone. His distressed hand reached for his glass and he drank the contents all at once, feeling the comforting heat pour down his throat and fill his chest. To the places where it did not reach, there was the photo of his graceful wife, but this time even that was not enough.

"My Ai... What should I have done?" The man held on the altar, not even to himself he would fall.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Madoka was waiting at the end of the corridor when she saw Homura coming, in quick steps and a stern look. The girl walked past her without a word and ran up the stairs.

Already on the third floor, Madoka went to Homura's room and the door was open. Inside, the girl with braids had her back to the door, staring at the dolls gathered in the deepest part of the room. "I knew you would follow me..."

"I didn't hear anything," Madoka said.

"Leave my room," Homura affirmed, without a doubt.

The dolls looked at her, apprehensive.

Madoka tried to approach slowly, but the wood floor produced a light creak.

A spark that made Homura explode. "Go away!"

The dolls' eyes changed color and their teeth appeared. Madoka saw them pointing in sync to her, to the door.

Homura clenched her fists. "Sorry, please..."

Madoka nodded as slowly as she walked backward out of the room.

"Close the door."

And so she did, making as little noise as possible, the same for her steps down the corridor.

However, the silence was broken by the sound of cutlery. It was Chiharu who came with a tray of food, the delicious scent of the grilled fish did not match her melancholic face. "I knew this would happen. Excuse me..."

Madoka cleared the way and watched the woman stop in front of Homura's room.

"Homura-san, I brought the lunch," Chiharu said, "please, my hands are busy, open the door."

No reply.

"You need to eat well now, your blood must not get weak."

After a longer wait, Madoka noticed a shudder in Chiharu.

"Don't act like that again!" she scolded, "your friend is here watching this!"

The sound of the doorknob. Madoka saw the door open, and before Chiharu could take a step in, Homura's hands ripped off what she carried. She could hear the sound of the tray being placed on the floor of the bedroom, followed by the violent shut of the door. The woman kept her head up, but her neck twitched.

There was nothing left to see. With the same silence as before, Madoka returned to her room.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Doppelgänger**


	5. Doppelgänger

**Doppelgänger**

The dolls rolled on the floor, bored. They had already explored each corner in that room, even the trays with partially eaten food.

Meanwhile, their mistress was in her bed, measuring her blood pressure. "Please..."

The monitor was tight on her arm, but the result was always the same.

 **60/30**

"Why is so low?" She removed the monitor and threw it against the mattress, then she dug her nails into her arm, feeling it was hard under her skin. The pain, despite minimal, brought some relief.

 _What is going on? I should be in control, I'm in control!_

A melody, again came from the lower floors. The sound was faint, but in the silence of that room it was like a slow, flawed lament made of cheerful notes.

Homura covered her ears, gritting her teeth, being imitated by the dolls. However, music now seemed to come from her insides, reminding her what this place was.

 _.htaed yfirolg yehT_

She got out of bed and hurried to the door. She had to leave the house and stay away, in a place she remembered she could hide for a while.

When she opened the door, she came across the unexpected.

Madoka was sitting in the corridor, facing the entrance of the bedroom, with her back to the wall and hugging her bent legs. Her small form opened when she saw who had left.

"What are you doing here?" Homura asked.

She stood up, carrying a more relieved expression. "I was waiting for you."

"Why didn't you call me?"

"Well, I was a bit selfish..." Madoka lowered her head and clasped her hands together. "I thought if I didn't talk to you, you'd miss me and come out to look."

Homura froze.

As Madoka smiled. "And it looks like it worked, right? Eh... hihi..."

The visage of Homura slowly changed to a stamp of sadness.

"Homura?"

She turned her face away. "Yes, Madoka, yes... It worked."

Madoka took her by the hands.

In a reflex act, Homura tried to pull them, but the grip was firm.

Concerned, Madoka whispered, "You stayed in that room one more day." Then she moved away the disheveled hair over the other girl's face. "I know you had a fight with your father, but staying away from everyone isn't going to bring anything good."

Homura did not react.

"Wouldn't you like to have lunch with your family this time?"

She gave a small nod.

Making Madoka smile.

Homura then looked at her, more coolly. "We'll only stay for a few days here and I'm unnecessarily drawing attention with this attitude."

The smile could have been bigger, but for Madoka that would be enough. "It's all right. Let's go to the bathroom."

The dolls left the room and bounced down the hall.

"No!" Homura tried in vain to stop the last one from escaping. "Get back here!"

Madoka hugged her. "Let them, they need space to play."

"But..."

The pink girl winked. "We can keep an eye on them, can't we?"

Homura was thoughtful, breathing deeply. She broke away and tossed her hair back. "Okay, but we have to hurry." In a firm pose, she walked without waiting for anyone.

Keeping a serene smile, Madoka followed her.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The dining room table was completely occupied, with Homura and Madoka sitting with the brothers and father. There was silence, kept even when the two girls appeared. The most that could be heard was the incidental sound of a silverware thumping the bottom of a bowl and the breath of Chiharu's whispers to Hiroshi. The housekeeper stood vigilantly, always beside him.

No one looked directly at each others except Madoka, who saw the old man just moving his head at what the woman was saying and that seemed to be enough for her to understand.

One of the dolls took advantage of the open door to enter the room. It was Namake.

Homura promptly followed her movements.

Still bored, Namake wandered around the room, touching the statues that decorated the place until one quivered, showing it was not so steady. More curious, she slowly tilted the pedestal.

Homura grabbed the tablecloth, restraining herself from standing up.

Feeling her good-for-nothing mistress' concern, Namake looked at her and smiled, finally something interesting was happening.

The pedestal tilted more and Homura held her breath.

The doll was threatening to give the final push when she noticed Madoka staring at her, with a disappointed face.

The other dolls appeared at the door, calling the missing member of the troupe.

Bored and now troubled, Namake left the pedestal in peace and joined them. They all ran.

Snaps in the wood caught the attention of Chiharu, who even looked back, but ignored it, it was normal on a hot, dry day.

Relief filled Homura until she noticed Ichiro staring at her. She then lowered her head and returned to eat.

Hiroshi rose from his chair without a word and headed for the exit. He stumbled and held the door frame.

Madoka saw Chiharu hurry to help him.

When the two disappeared from view and the footsteps could no longer be heard, Udo stretched, smiling. "Phew... I dunno what you did, sister, but it seems more like our dad who was scolded yesterday."

"That's none of your concern," Ichiro said.

"That's just a comment, I don't care about drama. Today is a sunny day... good to spend the afternoon in the pool, right?"

Seeing that he was looking at her, Madoka knew to who the invitation was.

"Do you have a bikini?"

And that straightforward question. She was a little embarrassed. "I don't know, I brought a lot of stuff... maybe my mother put one in the bags."

"Anything, my sister lends-" Udo was surprised to see how Homura was looking at him. "What's it? Can't you borrow an old piece? If you still have one..."

"Stop..." Ichiro said, more seriously.

Making Udo angry. "Are you Chiharu-san now?! You weren't like this."

The other brother snapped. "Don't remind me of that!"

Madoka put her hands together on the table, seeing herself as a witness to another family discussion.

"Why is everything I do wrong? Just because I don't want to attend this eternal funeral in our home?" Udo got up and opened his arms. "Let's everyone go to the pool! Let's have fun! Where is wrong with that, Madoka?"

Being put on the conversation without warning, she replied, "Ahn... Nothing. It's actually a great idea!" Then she smiled at Homura. "Isn't it?"

The other girl straightened her glasses, hiding a good part of her face with her hand. "Yes..."

Ichiro folded his arms. "I don't want to get wet, maybe father needs me."

"FUCK YOU!" Udo shouted at him.

"Uhuhuhuhuhuhu!" Ichiro gritted his teeth, unable to contain his laughter.

"Huh?"

"With that you managed to scare our visitor. Huhuhuhuahahaha!"

Udo's eyes widened at the realization. "You bastard... You haven't changed at all. You scolded me like that on purpose!"

Tears streaming from my eyes, Ichiro shook his head. "You're too predictable, my brother, too predictable..."

Udo smiled. "I'll throw you in the pool with your shoes, phone, everything!"

"Good luck." Then Ichiro turned his attention to Madoka. "I'm sorry for this 'bickering.' I couldn't resist. As you have seen, he's too reckless. "

"You deceived us all..." she said.

"Uh-huh..." The man agreed, sure of himself, in front of the young girl with a serene smile. But there was something strange in her gaze that did not follow the rest of her countenance.

"LET'S GO TO THE POOL!"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

In her room, Madoka opened the zippers of the bags. In a small compartment, she finally found what she was looking for. "Ah... This one..."

She undressed and in front of the big mirror installed at closet's door, she put on the red bikini. Her mother should have chosen this color to match the ribbons in her hair, but perhaps it was not the most appropriate for the occasion.

She wrapped herself in a bath towel and went to Homura's room. The door was open, which already gave an odd sign.

Inside it was Chiharu, collecting the trays on the floor. She stopped what she was doing. "Are you going to the pool with Udo-san and Ichiro-san?"

"And Homura." Madoka nodded. "Do you know where she is?"

"She too?" Chiharu raised her eyebrows and then looked away. "I did not see her..."

"I'll check if she's already there."

Madoka went downstairs and to the veranda. There she discovered that the dolls were in the yard, all with black bikinis or swimsuits. Most were in a circle playing with a volleyball. Manuke and Noroma were sitting on the grass, sharing a lunch box, while Mie was lying on a towel with purple diamond motifs, putting suntan on her body.

There was no sign of Homura.

Udo was swimming in the pool and Ichiro sitting on a lounger, talking on his cell phone. "I still don't understand why you're calling."

She came closer listening to his loud voice. He was visibly angry and this time it was real.

"NO! You will not lose this bridge! This contract has been negotiated for months!" Ichiro tugged his hair. "No, I will not call my father."

Udo began to float, smiling at what was happening.

"We give you this responsibility, do your job!" He hung up the phone and sighed. "I knew this would happen again. He should have been removed of this position long ago."

Udo stood and shook his head, making his hair splash around him. "But isn't he an old friend of our dad?"

"That's why the company is stagnant, we're putting friendship above competence. We could be expanding our business to other countries already."

"You're becoming ambitious..." Udo smiled. "But you know our dad stopped in time, huh?"

Ichiro was frustrated until he realized who had arrived. "Oh... Look."

Udo turned quickly. "Hey... Madoka..."

She covered herself more with the towel. "Have you seen Homura?"

"Nope," Udo replied, "wasn't she in her room? So she must be hiding."

"Hiding..." Madoka looked down.

"I don't think so," Ichiro said, "she must still be in the house, who knows, looking for you. Call her."

"I'll do it," she said, "thank you."

Udo leaned on the pool edge, watching the girl's heels as she walked away.

"She's too young."

He turned to his brother, who was staring at him. "I'm young too."

Ichiro shook his head. "She's a friend of our sister, do not mess with this hornet nest."

"Look who's talking! I noticed how you looked at her during lunch."

The man turned his face. "That... I don't know. She looked at me in a way... It was mesmerizing."

"You fall in love and then you say to me I'm the lolicon."

"Don't be stupid!" He scratched his forehead. "I can only say that she didn't seem to be impressed by anything, but it was as if she was saying something more to me. I just could not figure it out yet."

"Ah yes!" Udo pointed to what his brother said. "I had a similar experience when I talked to her."

"What? Just you and her?" Ichiro narrowed his eyes. "You didn't flirt with her, did you?"

"I didn't do anything, she's not even shy! In fact, she speaks in a way that doesn't match her age."

Ichiro became more thoughtful, with a lost gaze.

"She's kinda weird, yes. I think only someone like that could have our sister as a friend."

Ichiro closed his eyes. "Shut up."

Udo frowned, but then smiled and submerged.

As soon as she entered the house, Madoka put telepathy into use. [ _Homura?_ ]

[ _I'm here._ ]

With such an immediate reply, Madoka knew that a good thing it was not. She could now feel a source of magic coming from an area of the house she had not visited yet. When she opened a door, she began to hear a distant continuous sound of clothes dryers working.

She walked down the hallway, sure she could cross with someone of the staff or even Chiharu. Before that, however, she stopped at the door where the feeling was stronger.

The door opened into a dark, closed room that was not being used for anything else than a storage. The air was heavy, with a strong smell of wood. The furnishings were covered with thick cloths.

Leaning against one of them was Homura, with a dusty lamp lit beside her, which she must have been able to find there. "Come in and close the door before anyone sees you."

Madoka obeyed, leaving the room darker. The light from the lamp helped, but it also gave an ominous aspect to the other girl's face. "What is going on?"

"I can't go to the pool," Homura affirmed.

"Why?" Madoka was confused, looking around. "And why all this?"

"To show you that." Homura unbuttoned a few buttons of her dress and opened it, revealing her bare chest.

Frowning, Madoka approached to look more closely. "What's it...? There's nothing here."

Homura continued to stare at her.

Then Madoka had the epiphany. "Ah."

"Exactly." Homura buttoned the dress. "It should have the scar of my surgery. I had it when I was a magical girl, even if I could heal, it would return when I turn back in time. With this body of mine it's as if I never had it and I was unable to make a convincing imitation. So if anyone found out, we'll have a problem."

"Well..." Madoka pondered. "If you have a swimsuit to cover it, we can..."

"I don't have one that suits me."

"Then just keep me company." Madoka shrugged. "You don't have to get in the water."

Homura remained silent.

"That's just an excuse, isn't it?" She concluded, frustrated, "why are you avoiding your brothers? I want to understand."

Homura lifted her chin and murmured, "Do you need?"

Madoka raised her eyebrows.

"Very well, I'll explain to you..." Her words were cold. "The faces of the people of this house are strange to my eyes, their voices my ears do not recognize, their names leave empty from my mouth... My time is very far from here, it's a waste with something so meaningless."

The pinkette gasped.

While Homura kept her impassivity.

However, Madoka's face became tense.

The girl with glasses needed to take a deep breath.

"You... did you believe for a moment in what you just told me?"

It was beyond her control, Homura shuddered.

"If they mean nothing, from what are you hiding?" Madoka pressed, "from what are you running away again?"

In one step, Homura grabbed her, causing the other to drop her towel. Her fingers dug into the soft skin of the shoulders.

Besides a mild reaction of surprise, Madoka kept a defiant expression, despite the fierce purple eyes that seemed they wanted to consume her.

With the silence and closeness, Homura could hear their breathing. In Madoka's case she could see it too, as the skin stretched as her chest expanded.

But none of this was true.

There was no flesh, only magic. The world she wanted now was only a lucid dream.

When Homura bowed her head, Madoka remained serious, but it was no longer intense. Her hands caressed the hard, cold hands that held her. The buried fingers brought pain to her shoulders. She did not erase that feeling or ignore it, for if it were a way of receiving some of the pain the other kept for herself, she would accept it fully.

But then Homura smiled. She lifted her head and uttered in a voice not as cheerful as her appearance, "Enjoy."

Madoka blinked. "Huh?"

"The people here will treat you well and the accommodations are good." After releasing her shoulders, Homura noticed the deep marks she had left. "You'll have a good story to tell your mother when we get back."

Madoka saw her bending down and grabbing the towel.

"I already told you." After covering her back, Homura headed toward the exit. "There's nothing more important than you being happy..."

Madoka turned. "Without you?"

She stopped and turned her head, retorting, "Is not that what you expected from me?"

Madoka lowered her gaze.

Seeing her like this, Homura opened her mouth for a moment to speak, but then closed it as her eyes. She opened the door and left.

Bathed by the warm light of the lamp, Madoka lifted the towel to see her shoulders. There were black veins, which were gone with the finger marks, and the skin returned to being healthy and youthful. There was no more pain.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

This time Udo was the first to notice who was coming. "Let me guess, she won't come."

Madoka's face said everything.

Lying on the lounger, Ichiro shook his head without hiding his disappointment.

While Udo smiled, slapping the surface of the water. "Come in, I've been alone for a long time."

She sat on the edge and dipped her feet into the pool, feeling the cool temperature, not icy, just right.

Udo swam to where she was. "Hey! Don't pretend you're shy."

"It's deep," Ichiro warned.

"Yeah..." Udo pointed to what was possible to see through the crystalline liquid. "But the edge has a step for those who can't swim."

"I know how to swim." Madoka folded the towel and laid it on a nearby lounger, then untied the ribbons and put it in the same place.

Under Udo's anxious gaze. "Are you gonna jump?"

"No." She tossed her loose hair back and gripped the edge, controlling the descent into the pool as far as she could. When she landed on the step, the water was at the level of her neck.

"Well, the step is also deep for you."

She smiled. "I'm still growing..." Since hair had already got wet, there was no reason not to soak the face too. There was no smell of chlorine. "This water is very good and clean."

Ichiro explained, "It's pumped from an aquifer that is under those hills and returned to it after being filtered. It's always being renewed."

"It's like taking a river bath," Udo added, "it's the coolest thing in this place and now you know my brother is a blockhead, because he's not in here."

Ichiro closed his eyes. "I want to rest. That breeze is fine."

"This guy's pitiful, isn't he?" Udo winked at Madoka.

Embarrassed, she held a giggle.

"Ow, but do you really know how to swim? I can give you a free lesson."

Smiling, Ichiro said, "Kaname-san, accept it if you want to drown."

Taking advantage of his brother not looking, Udo made an ugly face and stuck his tongue out at him, then he saw that the girl had left the edge.

Madoka swam on her back, sliding gently in the middle of the pool.

"You can keep your head out of the water, good, but..."

Madoka saw Udo quickly dive and pass underneath her. When she arrived at one of the edges, he was already waiting.

And from his cheeky face, he must have gotten a good angle.

The boy said, "You're not using your legs too much, you have to put more strength on them."

She folded her arms. "I didn't want to."

"And you know how to hold your breath and dive?"

"Uh-huh."

Udo narrowed his eyes and smiled. "That didn't sound very confident. Wanna try a little challenge?"

Madoka raised her eyebrows.

"How about reaching the other side of the pool in one dive?"

She nodded.

He made a face of concern. "See, it's a challenge, you don't have to accept it."

"It's fine."

" _Okay_." They prepared, breathing deeply. "When I say."

At that moment, the pool was like a mirror showing the few clouds in the sky.

"NOW!" Udo broke the mirror, reaching into the depths and having the wall ahead as his goal. He opened and closed his arms and legs in a good rhythm. It was something he had done so many times that his mind was busy with other ideas. The girl had been left behind and would probably give up or even get in trouble.

He smirked.

In that case, he would have time to reach the end and return to rescue her, a great opportunity to get touchy-feely.

Suddenly a turbulence. Udo noticed Madoka overtaking, making a very different move from his. She undulated her entire body harmoniously, as if from head to toe she was a single member. When she reached the wall, he realized that he was slower. Surprise had broken his rhythm and he had lost some air. In more clumsy movements, he now wanted to reach both goal and surface. When he emerged, the air came with water in his gaping mouth, reaching the bottom of his throat. "Cough! Cough!"

Madoka asked, "Are you alright?"

"Ah... Yes... Ah... Yes..." After catching his breath, he widened his eyes. "How did you do that?"

She looked away for a moment, then shrugged. "I put more strength."

"OOOOHHHH Great professional swimmer, admit you're humiliated by a girl younger than you."

It was Ichiro and Madoka was unable to resist. "Wehihihihihihahaha..."

Udo looked at him and nodded. "I... I'm happy for her, yeah..." The expression of confusion gave way to suspicion. "Hey! Were you looking? Weren't you resting?"

The older brother grinned. "And miss this?"

Flushed, Madoka covered her mouth, but she kept laughing. "... haaaa... hihi... hiiihaha..."

Udo pointed angrily at him. "Ahhhh... You're gonna get wet! You're literally asking for it."

Ichiro closed his eyes and nudged his temple. "Hmmm... Has no one taught you the definition of literally?"

"Nobody taught you about metaphor, moron!"

Madoka hugged finally managing to contain herself.

The cell phone rang and Ichiro got up to check it.

"Is him?" Udo asked.

The man was more annoyed than surprised. "Yes."

Seeing him start walking, Udo asked another question, "Are you going to call dad?"

"No, I'll take care of it." Ichiro passed in front of them.

"You fucking liar. What about 'everyone at the pool'?"

"You'll soon understand, brother."

Udo threw a handful of water at him.

Ichiro jumped to avoid, but ended up with wet legs. He continued toward the house, raising one arm and showing the middle finger.

With a sullen face, Udo grunted something unintelligible.

Madoka was curious. "What was he talking about?"

"You know my future as a musician is going to be hard to happen." He sighed and shook his head. "So they want me to start getting involved with dad's company while I'm going to college... Engineering, accounting, administration, trade..."

"Wouldn't you like to work with your father?"

Udo punched the surface of the pool into a great ripple. "I want to decide my life."

"And you already know what you're going to do if it's not music?"

"I'm still thinking, I haven't even talked to the rest of the band yet." He washed his face and lifted his head, letting the water drip. "It's complicated."

"Yes, it is..." Madoka closed her eyes. "Having to make a decision we don't want, but we need..."

The boy looked at her. "Does your family also decide on your future? You still haven't told me about them."

Madoka's serious expression grew lighter. "It's not something we discussed, but I inspire in my mom, she works hard."

"You have a mother, that's a plus."

She frowned.

"What about your dad?"

"Hummm... He takes care of the house."

He gaped. "Wow! That's something... And you have an older sister to bother you, like Ichiro?"

She shook her head, smiling. "I have a little brother."

Despite this, Udo felt a certain sadness. "Your family must be cooler than mine."

Madoka took a portion of her wet hair and began to pull it, alternating her hands. "Every family has its problems. My parents argue with each other. Dad wants us to give value for the simple things, but mom sometimes comes with something new that she has bought, something that he considers superfluous. It's worse when he finds out the bill."

"Money... We fight too because of it." He smiled at her. "Of course, the values are bigger."

"I believe."

"Come! My hair is almost dry." Udo dived.

They continued to play and swim in the pool. Meanwhile, Udo struggled not to stare at Madoka all the time. It was difficult, for her body made graceful and efficient movements, as if to float was her second nature. It was also difficult, because he could not stop thinking about that sadness.

Music is logic, but turning logic in feelings is talent. He sometimes doubted he had, but logic did not define that girl.

As they approached one of the edges, at an opportune moment, Udo uttered what he most believed, "You're thinking of her."

With apparent confusion, Madoka smiled. "Huh...?"

He kept sure of that. "My sister. You're still thinking about her."

Madoka looked away.

Udo stretched at the edge, his arms wide. "Ahhh... Tell me, how did you two become friends?"

Madoka's smile softened as she stared at her own reflection in the water. "It was the first day she appeared in the classroom. She was so nervous about the other classmates wanting to know more about her that I, the nurse's aide, rescued her. That's how it all began..."

"Did she even open her mouth to speak?"

She nodded. "You may not believe it, but I was shy and didn't have the courage to do anything. I struggled a lot to improve, becoming a nurse's aide was part of that. So I sympathized with Homura. It was selfish too, for she was more timid than me and I felt more at ease, in control. She made me feel important... more responsible."

Udo saw that she seemed to be in a trance. "Are you okay?"

She lifted her head, still smiling. "Yes."

"She never scared you?"

The smile for a moment was gone and she lowered her gaze, but then Madoka already had the same expression. "When she has the courage to open up, there is nothing sweeter."

"For real?!" Udo smiled in disbelief. "She must be like that with strangers. I didn't believe when Chiharu-san told me she was making friends at that catholic school she was sent, but it must be true..." Then he narrowed his eyes. "But be careful, you're no longer a stranger to her."

This time, she remained serious. "Why do you say that?"

"I'll tell you a story." Udo opened his eyes wide. "Homura was five years old at that time. It was Christmas morning and I had woken up, crazy to see the presents. It was one of the few dates that our family seemed happy. So... I found a cotton trail on the way, at the same time I thought it would be to simulate snow. I was already smart, I didn't believe in fantasies anymore. I followed the trail and then I noticed that cotton was now stained red."

He paused dramatically. Madoka continued to pay attention.

"The trail took me to where the Christmas tree was and there was my sister. On the floor around her were the plush toys she had, all beheaded, and also the present she would win, already destroyed. She turned slowly to me and in her hands was a bloody garden shears." Udo looked up at the sky and his voice had become lower, more melancholic than scary. "She was clumsy and had cut herself, the blood was hers, but I didn't know. Even so, I didn't run, I... I don't remember feeling scared. I wasn't believing, I thought it was a nightmare, she never looked at me like that as she approached me. If it weren't for my brother to appear, I don't know what would have happened."

"She must have a reason to have done it," Madoka stated.

Udo glanced at her. "Yeah, mom's death."

Madoka kept staring at him.

Leaving Udo curious. "What?"

She looked away. "She was five years old..."

"Yeah..." he whispered, "but the devil only sleeps."

Her expression froze.

"Finally!" Udo smiled. "Relax, I was teasing you."

Madoka gave a grim smile as she hugged herself.

"She got better after she went to that school. She was still quiet and spent most of her time in her room with a doll, but she smiled." He made a grimace. "Well, now she's in a bad mood again, but it shouldn't be the same thing."

"Yes... It shouldn't be."

"Ow, don't be like that."

Madoka glimpsed Udo's approach. Even thin, he was big for her, tall with broad shoulders.

And it seemed he wanted to emphasize this when he pointed to himself. "My bad. This story is real, but I didn't think you'd believe it and take it so seriously."

"No, it's okay..." Madoka noticed that on the other side of the pool were the dolls, standing near the edge, watching.

Udo whispered, "Hey... Did you know you looks better with your hair loose?"

"Hi?" Madoka frowned. "My hair? No, mine is very frizzly, not like Homura's."

"You have the hair of a singer."

She looked at him, to see if it was another joke, but it was not what it looked like. "Singer?"

He smiled. "Rock singer. A cute face, of a good girl, but actually is someone who fights against the system, who breaks the rules to get what she wants."

"Hihi." Madoka clasped her hands close to her chest. "Sorry, but I'm a good girl."

He raised his eyebrows. "All the time?"

She nodded. "And everywhere."

"Even if there's no one watching?"

She nodded again.

"Hmmm..." He narrowed his eyes and smirked. "Ah, you must be hiding-" A shadow covered both.

Chiharu was behind them. Her light dress danced in the breeze and she wore a chic wide-brimmed hat. Her dark glasses provided extra protection from the sun. "Did I interrupt something?"

Based on her voice and expression, Udo had only one question to ask, "My brother sent you, didn't he?"

She smiled. "You're leaving the pool too hot, boy, you better get out and have a cold shower."

Udo gritted his teeth and lashed out against the water. "Damn it! I did nothing!"

Chiharu crossed her arms. "Oh my! Look at this child having a tantrum."

He left the pool, staring at Madoka. "We'll talk another time."

Seeing him going to the house, Chiharu made it very clear. "I don't want to see you near her room."

Madoka remained silent as the housekeeper turned her attention to her.

Chiharu's face became less tense and she sat on the lounger, pushing away the towel with the pair of red ribbons. "Didn't your parents warned you about boys?"

The girl leaned over the edge to see her. "They did."

"Good."

By the intonation of her voice, Madoka was certain the woman was not happy to know.

"I was watching you two from afar, but I could not help but hear the name of Homura-san." Chiharu stretched her neck, feeling the skin with her fingers. "What Udo-san told you?"

Madoka pressed her lips and shook her head slightly. "Just a creepy Christmas' story."

Chiharu turned her face away.

She saw the woman mutter something between her lips, akin to 'For God's sake...'

"It was due to this event that I was called by Hiroshi-sama," Chiharu spoke, "I have a background in psychology and I worked in the company's human resources department when he came to me with that offer. He had been very honest with what was happening."

"It was her brothers," Madoka said.

Chiharu looked at her before continuing, "Ichiro-san and Udo-san were harassing her because of what happened to their mother. Their father disciplined them, but he was unable to teach them to love, for he too was grieving by the tragedy. That was just making the two boys hate her more..." Her lips trembled and she let out a long sigh. "I did not have time and I had to make a decision as a professional. I recommended that she must be removed immediately from that toxic environment and enrolled her in a catholic school that I knew very well."

"But this school didn't only accept orphans?"

"Did Homura-san tell you that? No, they accept anyone who can pay, but actually I am orphan. Someone left me at the door of this school when I was a baby and they adopted me. I studied and worked inside the institution until I became an adult, when I decided to leave them to become more independent," the woman nodded and continued, "It's a school that has sleeping quarters. Homura-san only had contact with her family on holidays, meanwhile I had time to shift the boys' focus to their own lives."

"Hmmm..." Madoka looked down. "Udo-san had also told me that she had made friends at this school..."

"This school teaches good values and Homura-san had the opportunity to have contact with girls of her own age. However, nowadays I'm not sure it was a good choice, as she still treats her brothers and father as strangers."

"This school also encourages talents, doesn't it? Like ballet."

A stronger wind swept the surface of the pool and pulled the woman's dress. The dolls widened their eyes.

Chiharu straightened her hat. "Yes and Homura-san got a taste for ballet. It made her happy, but I left me concerned."

"Why?" Madoka inclined her head.

While Chiharu paused for a moment before continuing, "Ai Akemi was a professional ballerina, that's how Hiroshi-sama met her during a trip in Europe. Homura-san seemed to be wanting to follow the same steps, perhaps out of guilt. I could not help but think she was trying to replace her." She smiled. "Of course it could have been a wrong idead of mine, and Hiroshi-sama was happier. He returned to give her gifts."

"Like the doll house?"

She smiled more. "It was my recommendation. The doll that came with the house had dockable parts. The first thing Homura-san did when she got her hands on it was to tear its head off. You had to see how she was marveled when she could fit back in, whoever was dead had come back to life." Then she looked at the landscape, speaking," _Fort-da_..."

"Hi?"

Chiharu shook her head, condemning her lapse. "Oh, it's nothing."

Madoka smiled with her. "I didn't see this doll. What happened?"

Smile that disappeared immediately from the woman. "Whatever happens to any toy, it breaks."

She did not smile anymore either. "And Hiroshi-sama?"

Chiharu tensed. "What about him?"

"Uh..." Madoka became more cautious. "You told me you took care of Homura and her brothers, but wasn't he grieving too? What did you do for him?"

Chiharu put her hand to her chest. "Hiroshi-sama is a determined man, who pursues with passion for his goals, this includes people as well. Ai was his greatest passion and there is no more room for anything else in his old heart."

The girl commented, "I think Homura considers you as part of this family and I see that the other two treat you like a mother."

The dolls whispered to each other.

The housekeeper touched her chin with her fingertips. "You like to draw conclusions, don't you?"

"Huh?"

"Someone who recognizes malice, knows how to use it." She stood up and took off her glasses. "You're not a naive girl, so I'll be straight with you."

Madoka paid attention to Chiharu's glare.

"Despite some problems you may have witnessed, this is Homura-san's family. I'm not sure what you're planning, but if you're using her fragility to take advantage of us..."

"That's not my intention." Madoka left the ledge, pushing herself into the middle of the pool.

Chiharu gaped, blinking her eyes, then inquired, "Intention?"

Madoka just kept looking at her as she floated on the water.

The woman nodded, hiding her bitter visage with her glasses, and left. "Don't stay too long in the water or your skin will wrinkle."

With nothing but the sounds of the trees swaying by the wind, the bored dolls returned to play. Meanwhile, Madoka remained lying on the surface of the water, looking at the black birds that circled above her in the sky.

The coolness of the water and the lack of sense of weight brought relief to the worries about that conversation and with what would come. Her eyelids invited her to surrender her human senses to the void and close the window of that reality.

An explosion of white, which gradually decomposed into colors and images, faces and places. An out of tune chorus called out for her name.

"Lootus" "надежда" "Gobeithio" "希" "Manantena" "Fatan" "Spero" "आशा" "Nada" "ಭಾವಿಸುತ್ತೇವೆ" "امید" "Tama" "ελπίδα" "Von?" "Lero?" "Esperança?" "Hope?" "Hoop?" "¿Esperanza?"

Water entered her nostrils and Madoka reopened her eyes, her back touching the bottom of the pool. However, she could not see the surface, for there were dozens of chairs floating above her, blocking the light.

She quickly moved the chairs out of the way, but it was difficult as the feet of the chairs stuck with the others ones. There were so many chairs and the pool seemed to be much deeper than before.

Then came light and her body flailed. When she realized it, she was still lying on the surface of the water and there was no chair. She swam to the edge and left the pool, sure it was not just a delirium. "Your doubts, not mine..."

Madoka was drying herself with the towel as she noticed the dolls approaching her. After picking up the red ribbons, she offered her hands to them. Hand in hand, they all went to the house.

On the way, Madoka saw a window on the third floor, where a curtain swung for a moment before standing still.

The shadow of the veranda hid her conviction.

* * *

 **Next chapter: The two constellations**


	6. The two constellations

**The two constellations**

 _How much time has passed? How much time will pass..._

With a blanket over her, Homura was sitting on the bed, while one more morning had arrived. She stared into nothingness, her thoughts as lost as her spirit.

 _Madoka, what are you doing?_

The flapping of wings and shadows appeared in the empty room, coming from the window. She opened the curtain and saw black birds on the sill, with caps sewn on their heads covering their eyes.

"Shoo!" She hit the window to make them leave, however they pecked at the glass in response. "I already have enough to deal with..."

The sound of the doorknob.

She quickly closed the curtain and stood in front of the window. Even if Chiharu would not be able to see, it was better not to take chances.

The door opened at once and a cheerful boy came in, announcing, "Let's wake up! Today is a big day!"

Homura's eyes widened. "Why are you here?"

"Ohohohoho!" Udo put his hands behind his head. "My sister spoke to me! I think I'll get emotional..."

She jumped out of bed and said, trying to keep her composure, "Get out of my room."

"But you didn't ask why I'm here?" He smiled. "I have great news! Today we're going to walk around Tokyo."

Homura did not change her expression.

Udo smiled more.

She only had one thing to say, "Leave."

He was confused. "Huh? Didn't you combine that with her?"

"Her?" Homura looked at the doorway behind him.

Madoka was in the corridor with Ichiro, both looking at her.

The shock was such that Homura realized belatedly that Udo had stood by her side, embracing.

He put his face closer and whispered, "She wants a good story to tell her mom, but for that she'll need some photos."

Madoka slowly showed a smile.

The body became completely tense, Homura struggled hard to hide the grinding of her teeth, wondering if that calm face was not malicious.

While Udo's was a certainty. "And this time there'll be no excuses."

She closed her eyes and sighed before uttering, "I'll go..."

"Yay!" Udo celebrated. "We have to thank our brother for arranging this. He's the only one that Chiharu-san listens."

"And rightly so." Ichiro left. "Hurry up, we'll be leaving after breakfast."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"Hmmm..." Madoka looked at herself in the mirror. A salmon-colored blouse with ruffles and fair shorts, all very simple. After all, there would be plenty of places to visit and walk, which required comfortable sneakers as well. The weather was fine, being able to see the frozen summit of Mount Fuji.

She left and went straight to Homura's room. She found the girl with glasses and braids already in the corridor, waiting. She wore a black high-necked sweater, a below the knee lilac skirt and black pantyhose, with a low-heeled shoe. Her smooth, pale skin, barely exposed, looked even more waxy.

Homura noticed the other girl's curiosity.

"You look more mature with those clothes," Madoka commented.

"Then that should serve..." Homura headed for the staircase.

After descending, the two found Ichiro. If it were not for the more colorful tones of his social shirt, it looked like the man would go to work.

"I already knew," he smiled at the girls, "my brother would be the last to get ready. I hope he doesn't put too much makeup."

Madoka saw that Chiharu was at one of the entrances to the hall, the woman's deep green gaze fixed on her.

It was not just her that had noticed the presence. "Ah, Chiharu-san, do you want to come with us?" Ichiro invited.

The housekeeper looked at him, saying in a monotone voice, "I only want you to take good care of your sister."

He grew more serious and nodded.

She then looked at Homura. "Won't you need your medicines?"

The girl answered without delay, "I'm carrying them in my handbag."

"It seems small for that," Chiharu remarked.

Homura's gaze remained steady. "I won't need all of them."

"This makes me feel better." She looked at Madoka. "Be careful and have fun..."

Everyone saw Chiharu turn around and leave, rather slowly. Ichiro then commented, "If anything happens, Tokyo has a good number of hospitals where we're going to walk."

"Don't worry," Homura replied.

"Look who's coming!" Making a lot of noise as he descended the stairs, Udo appeared wearing a white jacket and pants with a pink shirt underneath. He also wore a pink hat, displaying only the discolored ends of his hair, and a pair of polished white shoes with black soles. Confirming his brother's fears, he had outlined his eyes in black and painted his lips with a 'natural' color.

"Where did this inspiration come from?" Ichiro hid his face in shame.

He jumped from the last step and spun. "The name of this look is..." Then he tipped his hat toward the pink girl. "... _M'doka_."

"Ha... hahaaa..." Madoka frowned.

"I'm kidding!" Udo examined what she was wearing. "But our clothes sorta fit, right?"

She frowned more. "What a coincidence..."

He paid attention to his sister. "Oooh, what have we here?" He approached, walking around her. "This dark theme looks good on you."

Homura followed him by her gaze.

"And that evil cold face..." Udo turned his hat as he smirked. "You lost something important, I know."

Only her lips moved. "You have no idea what you're talking about."

"We all lose someday." He opened more his jacket. "That was your turn, don't pretend you didn't know that. Admit it." Then his shoulder was pulled.

Ichiro told him, "We all know how excited you're about this trip, you don't have to continue with this, right?"

Udo saw through his brother's smile how serious he was.

Homura relaxed her body, feeling how hard it was, and looked at Madoka, finding out she was watching that reaction.

The boy shrugged. "Yeah... The message was given. Come on guys, Tokyo is waiting for us."

Leaving through the front entrance, they headed for a black SUV with dark film on the windows. Ichiro was the driver, while Udo got the other seat.

It was he who asked as the girls sat in the back seat. "Why didn't you order them bring the convertible?"

Ichiro checked to see if everyone had fastened their seatbelts before starting. "I just want to get to the nearest subway station. It's golden week, there's no vacant parking near the major places."

The vehicle passed the gate and followed the path that, thanks to the daylight, it was possible to see the cracks and mosses on the old tarmac. The cover of the nearby trees gave an increased feeling of discretion until they reached the main road.

[ _Madoka._ ]

Finding it odd, she answered Homura's call without looking at her. [ _Yes?_ ]

[ _Did you see my... my..._ ]

[ _Dolls?_ ] There was a pause, Madoka waited.

[ _Yes... Did you see them?_ ]

[ _Hadn't you left them in your room?_ ] In a glance, she saw Homura's hand gripping the seat.

[ _What?! Don't you know where they are?_ ]

[ _I counted on your help to keep an eye on them._ ]

[ _It's fine._ ] Homura pressed her lips together and stared at the door window. [ _They must have gon-_ ]

Through the glass there was a big smile of wax.

She was startled as her child climbed to the top of the car.

Madoka saw the same thing in other windows. The dolls were with their bodies glued to the glass, some had lain on the windshield, blocking the view.

"Strange..." Ichiro said.

"What?" Udo asked.

"I think there's something wrong with the suspension, the vehicle feels heavy on the steering wheel."

The boy raised the front of his hat to see better. "When the last inspection was done?"

"It's up to date."

He smiled. "That's what happens when you're used to fly helicopters."

Ichiro shook his head. "Idiot..."

"At least takes us there in one piece, _okay_? I trust you, brother." Udo looked at the backseat. "By the way, Madoka, do you see that port there? It's where I live, Yokohama, in the horizon is our destination."

For Madoka there was nothing to see but a pile of dolls. "Ah yes... It's very interesting..."

"Incredible, yeah?" He showed his teeth in a big smile.

"I've already visited Mitakihara. It's a big and modern city," Ichiro stated, "you shouldn't treat Kaname-san like she's from the countryside."

"Ha!" Udo did not hide his disbelief from his brother. "Mitakihara isn't even a tenth of Tokyo."

"Right..." Ichiro looked in the rearview mirror. "Kaname-san, is there any place in particular you would like to visit first?"

"Hum... For me whatever. I'll leave it to you."

Udo threw up his arms. "LET'S GO TO DISNEYLAND!"

"No and it's impossible. Golden week, did you forget? Only with reservations." Ichiro glanced at his brother. "Although in your case perhaps it was possible. Someone might confuse you with one of the park's attractions."

He took off his hat. "That would be my dream."

"Wehihi..."

With arms folded, Homura watched the trio as she heard the footsteps of one of her children on the roof of the car and noticed a bump forming. Without making a fuss, she used a magically strengthened hand to push the bodywork back into place.

The hills were left behind as they entered the urban area. At the first intersection, Ichiro turned right and then passed in front of a station.

They entered a nearby paid parking lot. When the vehicle stopped, Homura left and saw her children in a organized troupe, already waiting for her. Their smiles only made the girl more uncomfortable.

Madoka decided to leave by the same door. She winked and made a gesture of silence to the dolls. "Shhh..."

"I've already decided," Ichiro said as he triggered the vehicle's alarm, "we're going to the Imperial Palace."

"What are we going to do there?" Udo asked, "the Emperor's public appearance was days ago."

"The garden, of course."

The boy rolled his eyes.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

At the station, the dolls jumped over or crawled under the turnstiles while Ichiro bought tickets. "With these we can use the subway for the rest of the day."

Luckily, there was a train to board at the platform. Unfortunately, even though it was a holiday, it was full.

Homura tensed, because she could not see her children among the people, she only could count on the acknowledged fact that they behaved better when Madoka was around.

Manuke was watching a mother sitting with her baby sleeping on her lap.

Then the child opened his eyes.

The doll smiled at him and waved.

Almost at the same instant the child began to cry, to the mother's concern. "Oh... What happened? Did you have a bad dream?"

It had been thirty minutes of travel when Ichiro warned, "Tokyo station, is this one."

They landed on a platform with a great movement of people. They climbed the stairs and walked down familiar corridors, with many shops. When they left the red building of gothic architecture, Madoka and Homura found themselves in the same large courtyard surrounded by skyscrapers of days ago.

Udo took off his hat and bowed. "Ah... It's good to be back."

"Come on, there's a lot to see." Ichiro led them, going straight across the busy avenues. It was possible to see, beyond the tall buildings of steel and glass, there was a verdant island surrounded by a thick stone wall and a moat.

Udo turned to the girls, all happy. "That Mitakihara doesn't have, does it, Madoka?"

She smiled. "No... Nothing similar."

On the bridge there were security cabins and guards watching, but none of them could see the dolls leaping effortlessly over the moat and balancing along the edge of the wall.

Ichiro pointed. "The east garden of the palace has already opened for the public."

"Oh, but I wanted to take a picture here with Homura," Madoka said.

"Huh?" Homura was paying attention to her children as she was pulled gently by the other girl to the edge of the moat.

Udo was excited. "Cool, let me-"

Ichiro received the smartphone from Madoka.

"Hey! I asked first."

"She gave it to me." Ichiro used his arm to move his brother away. "Okay, don't forget to smile."

Madoka and Homura stood side by side. With Madoka looking at her, Homura showed a polite smile.

After taking some photos, they went to the gate that gave access to the garden. There were large numbers of people coming and going, but the road was wide enough.

As expected, the garden was ornamented with showy plants and trees, but there were also buildings of ancient architecture, which blended very well with the scenery.

"There's a guardhouse," Udo pointed out, speaking to Madoka. "And there's a tea house."

There were also carp ponds, from which the dolls took their time to frighten them. The sound of water, birds and insects formed a relaxing symphony.

They climbed a paved path, past the high walls and into a plain surrounded by trees. The low grass was like a green carpet where some people sat or lay on it.

"It's a peaceful place, isn't it Homura?" Madoka asked.

The girl with glasses nodded. "But there're always the skyscrapers surrounding it to remind them of where they are."

They approached a structure on the plain, a large platform made of giant stone blocks.

Udo smirked at Madoka. "Did you know that there was an altar where they made human sacrifices?"

She raised her eyebrows. "This is where the main tower of Edo Castle was located. With five floors, it was the tallest in all of Japan, but it was destroyed in a great fire and they never rebuilt."

And his smile was gone. "Yeah... You're right."

For Ichiro's delight. "Still trying to impress her with your vast knowledge?"

Udo returned to smile. "Ah, I was just trying to scare her a bit."

"Uh-huh..."

"It's true!"

They climbed a ramp to the top of the platform, where it provided a good view of the extent of the plain, but it was not enough for the entire garden.

Without the trees to offer cover, the wind was stronger there. Homura's long braids swayed as she noticed Madoka pointing the camera lens at her. "What is that?"

"I'm taking pictures of the garden," the other girl replied, in a tone that it was obvious.

"Why are you including me?"

Madoka frowned and smiled. "Because you look pretty."

Homura looked away. "I see..."

Udo puffed his chest with fresh air. "Ahhh... _Okay_ , can we go now? It's my turn to choose the place."

Ichiro grimaced. "When did we decide that it'd be like that?"

Madoka said, "I'm curious to know where he wants to take us."

"See?" Udo said to his brother as he adjusted his hat. "The past has its charm, but I want to show the Tokyo of today."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

After another subway ride, they left the station and came to a crowded sidewalk, with buildings covered by billboards, perfect for the dolls to climb.

Udo jumped and raised his arms to that scenery. "Shibuya!"

"He's very happy," Madoka commented.

Ichiro nodded. "This is his real home." Then he pointed. "Look."

It was the bronze statue of a sitting dog. Udo hurried to it, speaking, "This is our dear Hachikou. He came to this station every day and waited for his owner. One day the owner died, but he kept coming to the station to wait for his arrival," he began to speak slowly, putting more emphasis, "every day, for years, until his death."

"Uhmm." Madoka smiled.

But it was not exactly the expression he was expecting. "Ehhh... You already knew that."

"Everyone knows about Hachikou," Ichiro said.

"It's a beautiful story of devotion," Madoka looked at Homura.

"To the point of being remembered and winning a statue," the other girl added, "but is there anyone who can assure that in the end he has meet his owner again?"

Madoka's expression hardly changed, only a slight raise of her eyebrows.

"Ahn, are you going to want to take a picture?" Ichiro asked.

"Ah. Yes... Yes..." Madoka offered her smartphone to him.

However, Udo was faster. "My turn!" He took the device and walked away. "Girls, make a cool pose."

No idea what a 'cool pose' would be, Madoka and Homura just stood side by side near the statue.

"That's good." Udo stood for a while pointing the camera at them. "Just a little more. A little more... Done! A great photo."

"Good." Madoka went to meet him.

Ichiro arrived first and aggressively took the smartphone out of his brother's possession.

To the perplexity of the girl, but not much of Udo.

"Right." Ichiro handed it to Madoka. "I removed his number from your contact list."

She was even more surprised. "His number?"

"Yes." He looked at his younger brother. "He's THAT sneaky."

"It's more practical than putting it on a piece of paper." Udo pointed to the north, already changing the subject. "Let's go, there's a lot of good stuff to show."

To get there they would have to cross a large intersection. More than a hundred people watched the cars pass, waiting for the right moment.

And it came.

Like armies about to clash on the battlefield, people on either side of the street walked on the wide crosswalk. Everyone was at a fast pace, some even ran, but without accidents.

Watching the crowd, Homura noticed something else, something she had already seen in the garden. Compared to Mitakihara, there were many more foreigners. Indeed, Tokyo was a city of the world.

Her gaze grew.

Among the tangle of trousers and skirts, shoes and sneakers, was a set of four white paws and a fluffy tail.

Her arm was pulled, it was Udo. "Watch where're you going, you almost bum-WHOA!"

She pulled her arm with such force that it almost knocked him down. Unfortunately, the distraction was enough to lose the creature from sight.

Ichiro looked back. "What was that, Udo?"

"Hmmm... Nothing..." The boy checked if he still had all the fingers in his hand.

The man exchanged glances with Madoka, sighing.

She shrugged.

They reached the other side and continued down the sidewalk. Homura was much more tense and alert, looking at the trees, poles, and tops of the buildings. Her children were very distracted, mimicking the choreography of a group of girls in an advertising panel, to be useful in the search.

She did not find what she wanted, but her eyes met those of a girl on the other side of the street. She wore with the pomp of a European princess, in pastel shades of pink and green, and carried with her an elaborate sunshade. She was using heavy makeup and various accessories, but what stood out most was the pendant with a crimson gem in the form of a stylized heart. After the brief exchange, the girl returned to her walk, looking at the store windows calmly.

Homura clenched her left fist.

"Here in Harajuku you'll find anything." Udo entered a thrift store. "Imagination is the limit!"

The others followed. The place was a series of narrow corridors, with lots of clothes on sale, plus gadgets and other small trinkets. The themes were varied, ranging from mundane to bizarre.

At the bottom of a corridor came a middle-aged woman, her hair and eyes were pumpkin-colored, her cheeks covered by star-shaped glitter. She wore garments of same color, that resembled pajamas, and fluffly slippers with platform soles.

Udo did not restrain his joy at the sight of her. "Moniii-chaaan!"

"Udo-kunnn~!" The woman exclaimed in an overly cute voice, while clapping and making little jumps.

"Today I brought my family to visit your magnificent store."

The saleswoman bowed to them. "Please feel at ease. If you are looking for something specific, ask me."

"Thank you..." Ichiro nodded with some embarrassment.

Smiling, Madoka nodded too.

While Homura was paying attention on the street, her mind occupied. [ _Tokyo must have a great concentration of magical girls, but I felt no presence_...] She turned to the other girl to ask. [ _Madoka, you sent someone from the Law of Cic-_ ]

Madoka was trying on a pair of orange-rimmed glasses with purple lenses, it was so big it covered her forehead. [ _Huh? Sorry, I wasn't paying attention._ ]

Homura averted her gaze.

Suddenly, Madoka felt something being put on her head.

"Oh, that hat fit very well! Black with pink draws a lot of attention." Udo was pleased. "Let's call it 'H'mura' look."

"Wehihi..." Madoka tried to adjust her glasses so that the brim of her hat would not hit it.

He looked at his brother. "How about you?"

"What?" Ichiro frowned. "Don't you think there's something here for me?"

"Hmmm..." Udo gestured for the woman to come closer. "Hey Moni-chan, please don't tell me he's a lost case."

"Definitely not," she said, smiling, "with someone as handsome as him, it's hard to make mistakes."

"Eh..." Ichiro pressed his lips. "Thank you."

She continued, "Fortunately, his shirt has a good mix of colors, if only he unbuttoned his collar and sleeves..."

"Oh yeah..." Udo nodded to his brother. "That would be nice."

"Right." Ichiro followed the instructions.

The woman then picked up a set of rings with different sizes and vivid colors. "Put those on your wrists and neck. Your youth will flourish."

"Flourish, hmmm..." He put some rings on his wrists and, reluctantly, on the neck. "So how do I look?"

"Two years younger." Udo ruffled his brother's hair. "Now three."

"You look more cheerful now," Madoka commented.

"Do I?" Ichiro looked at himself in a mirror, touching the rings around his neck. "I'm not used to it, I feel uncomfortable."

Homura gave no opinion, reserving herself to watch that banal scene from a distance, but the saleswoman began to approach. The girl soon said, "I'm not interested."

"I don't have much to suggest," the woman replied, "you pass the message very well."

"What did you say?"

"Yours hands are stiff, as if there's no flesh in them." She continued in a sweet, low voice, contrasting with the impact of the words she said. "Your posture is closed and your clothes are heavy... You try to hide a conflict within yourself, your hands reveal that struggle, it's the way you found to call for help."

Homura tensed her lips and looked down.

"I don't know you, I know I can't help with this. However, if you want to continue like that..." The woman took a small red scarf and wrapped it around the girl's collar.

Homura saw that one end of the scarf was suspended at the height of her heart.

"That will bring life to all this darkness."

"Oooohhhh..."

Homura then saw Madoka with her hand covering her mouth, marveling.

"It looks good on you," she said.

The saleswoman closed her eyes, nodding.

"Thank you..." replied the raven-haired girl.

"Moni-chan! Moni-chan!" Udo called, "Can you take a picture of us?"

"Of course!" She received Madoka's smartphone and positioned herself.

Udo instructed, "Let's get together guys."

To the surprise of Homura and Madoka, the dolls appeared running to be part of the group, disputing the little space available.

"Don't push," Ichiro complained to his brother.

"I'm not."

After a few shots, the woman returned the device.

"They're excellent," Madoka said, "thanks."

Udo was looking at them. "You have to share with us."

"No, I don't want anyone else to see this." Ichiro removed the rings.

To the indignation of his brother. "What are you doing?!"

"That's too much for me, but I'll keep my collar and sleeves unbuttoned, it's a holiday after all."

Madoka took off her glasses and hat to return them.

Udo stopped her. "Not the hat! This is my gift, I'll pay for it."

"But..."

"Madoka, I want you to remember this day." He flicked the brim of his hat. "But photos are just images. Our memories are made up of all our senses. So I want something you can touch, smell, put in your mouth if you're crazy. Haha!"

"Hihi..." She said politely, "Then I'll accept this gift."

Seeing that, Homura turned her attention to the scarf she was wearing, to her children and to the saleswoman.

The woman smiled and nodded.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

"It really looks good on you." Now wearing a black hat, a questionable addition to her look, Madoka praised the other girl and her scarf.

They were again on the streets of Harajuku, looking for a place to eat.

"My sister seems like a refined artist now," Udo commented, "well, she wanted to be one."

Homura kept her impassiveness.

"Let's go here." Ichiro pointed to a restaurant.

Udo made a face. "Eww... Regular food? Why not a hamburger?"

"Have you forgotten our sister's health?"

The place was small, claustrophobic, but well lit and with ambient music. There was no waiter or an attendant, but two vending machines, one for drinks and one for combo meals. After choosing and putting the money in the place indicated, they did not have to wait long for the plastic-packed meals to appear in an opening that linked the place to the kitchen.

"We could afford something more expensive, huh?" Udo whined.

And Ichiro retorted, "My hunger says it's worth more than the price, that what we call business."

Homura interrupted the discussion. "Excuse me, I'll go to the bathroom to take my medicines."

"I'll go with you!" Madoka volunteered.

For the size of the restaurant, the bathroom was spacious. Homura put her handbag on the sink counter and began to take out the medicine boxes.

"You really brought them," Madoka said.

"Chiharu-san will check." Homura looked at her through the reflection of the mirror and stayed that way. For a time the only thing that was heard was the sound of the pills being popped out of their blisters, then she asked, "Are you satisfied now?"

Madoka grew more serious. "This isn't about me."

Homura threw the pills into the trash can.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

After lunch and a short subway trip, they reached another part of the city with great skyscrapers.

"Here we're, Shinjuku..." Udo adjusted his hat. "Do you want to show our daddy's company?"

Ichiro replied, "I want to show Kaname-san something that she must have seen many times on TV."

They walked down a street with an intense traffic of vehicles, passing under footbridges and viaducts, then appeared a building that stood out in relation to the others, with a pair of two hundred meters high towers.

"Ah, this is the city hall," Madoka said.

"That's right." Ichiro pointed. "We can go to the south tower and get a good view of the city."

Udo pointed too. "Madoka, do you see that building far away?"

She saw a sixty-story skyscraper.

"That's where my brother goes to work for the rest of his life."

Ichiro was quick in his words. "You'll too."

"I still have some time," Udo said, convinced, "and in case I go, you're going to get me a position in the communications' department, right?"

"I've talked to our father, but you have the wrong idea of what it's like. There you'll also have to fill reports and wear a suit and tie."

"I'm going to change that policy."

"Who said you'd be the boss?"

Udo pulled down the brim of his hat, covering his face. "D-Don't make me lose hope!"

As she listened their conversation, Homura sighed.

 _I don't belong here._

She looked back and saw her dolls waving, smiling, amid the crowd that passed by them without notice.

 _I don't belong anywhere._

She noticed that Madoka was looking at her, serious again.

That changed when Madoka's smartphone vibrated. She smiled. "It must be my mother, I sent the picture we took together at Harajuku." As soon as she read the message, she frowned. "Oh..." She read several times to be sure.

"What is it?" Udo jumped to her side to see the screen.

Surprised, Madoka pressed the device against her chest to hide it.

It was late, Udo gaped and smiled. "Ohhhh! I already like your mom!"

Ichiro was curious. "What happened?"

The boy replied, "She commented on the photo, saying 'Who's whose boyfriend?' ."

"Ah..." Ichiro pondered, "So she doesn't know we're Homura's brothers. She didn't tell her. We have to sort this out."

"Nah!" Udo hugged Madoka. "Write to her that we're a couple."

She widened her eyes. "This is wrong..."

"It's just a little joOOAAHHH!" Udo's arm was held by Homura and pulled away from Madoka. "Are you trying to break my hand again?"

"Again?" Ichiro raised his eyebrows.

"Haha, it's nothing..." He moved his aching wrist. "But our sister is quite strong for someone who had heart surgery."

Homura remained silent.

Madoka began to write a message. "I'll explain to her."

Meanwhile, Udo came up with a suggestion. "Ow, if you really want a good view of the city, we have to go to the Skytree."

"Skytree? On a holiday?" Ichiro smiled in disbelief. "We'll only manage to get tickets to enter at night."

"Much better!" Udo returned toward the station. "But we have to go now!"

Ichiro waited for him to open a distance to approach Madoka and whisper, "Kaname-san."

"Huh?"

"I apologize for my brother being so obnoxious. If it's too much, call me."

"No..." Madoka glanced at Homura.

She was tense, following Udo by gaze.

Madoka smiled. "There's no need."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

They left another station. Skytree, a six hundred meters high metal tower, was easily visible from that point, but it was still far away.

Something that upset Udo. "Why Asakusa station? We could have gotten straight there."

"There must still be enough tickets available to buy," Ichiro replied, "and there's a very special place nearby."

They came to a large gate, where an immense red paper lantern stood suspended in the entrance. Two statues of gods, one on each side of the gate, watched an endless crowd.

Udo was not eager to face that. "Of course would be like that on a holiday..."

But they kept on, slowly finding a way between people. They passed under the lantern, seeing that at its base was a beautiful carving of a dragon.

There was another gate ahead, to get there they would have to continue on a long path in which either side had many shops. Souvenirs, traditional kimonos and fans, handicraft products and typical goodies, were sold there.

"Madoka, will you want something?" Udo asked.

"We can see this on the way back," Ichiro said as he led the group.

The first monks were spotted and also people wearing kimonos. At intersections, rickshaws passed, usually with tourists inside.

Madoka took pictures of everything she saw.

When they passed the second gate they came to a large courtyard. There was a five store tower, each with an eave, and a long spire of metal on its top. Both the pinnacle and the eaves contained bells that made noise with the touch of the wind.

Continuing along the path, there was an incense burner where people approached to purify themselves with the smoke. After that was the temple, the main building, predominantly red, with white, green and golden adornments.

"Senjouji," said Ichiro, "the temple of Kannon."

"Goddess of mercy." Madoka's countenance was one of joy. "She took upon herself the sins of the world, even from the executioner who killed her, and so she was sent to hell. However, when she stepped on the doomed soil, the whole hell became a paradise. She could ascend, but when she heard the cries coming from the mortal world, she decided to go back, because her mission was not over."

"Cool story..." Udo yawned. "Guys, the temple is full of people, I don't think we'll be able to enter."

"We can wait a bit," Ichiro replied.

Homura felt a presence behind her. It was her children, each doll with a fan hiding its mouth, except Noroma, who had already chewed its own.

While they waited, Udo returned to the shops and brought dumplings on skewers. "A few dangos to sweeten our mouths."

Finally, they were able to climb the temple stairs and reach the entrance to the main hall. There was a large golden altar, rich in details, surrounded by flower arrangements and lamps.

Not that Madoka could see, with so many taller people in front of her.

"Do you want me to take some pictures?" Ichiro offered.

"I would like."

While he was receiving her smartphone, Ichiro noticed his brother looking outside, more specifically at the Skytree tower. "After that, we'll be off or it may be too late."

Leaving the temple, it was a half hour walk to the Skytree. It was possible to get there faster by subway, but the experience of realizing the size of that colossus step by step was worth it.

The tower was part of a complex of shops and restaurants.

Ichiro said, "Before we go up there, we can eat."

"I'll already let you know!" Udo smirked as he pulled his jacket. "No matter where you go guys, I'm going to have a biiiiiig, juicy hamburger!"

At the base of the tower was a pavement where people took photos, but most were in a long line.

For Udo's despair, "Damn..."

"These people want to see the sunset," Ichiro said, "I'm sure there're tickets for the night."

The dolls did not wait. They jumped and began to climb the great metal structure, beckoning their mistress to accompany them. However, Homura kept her feet firmly on the ground.

Madoka took more photos, trying to focus on the zenith of the tower.

"You're gonna end up breaking your neck like that or, worse, letting your hat fall." Udo approached. "Why don't you lie down?"

She looked at him.

And Udo felt she was suspicious. "I'm serious. See, there are other people doing that too." He took off his hat and lay down next to her feet.

Madoka then did the same.

"Ah, that's no good." His fingers nimbly touched the screen of the device. "You shouldn't use so much zoom, your lens doesn't allow that. Instead, use the fisheye effect."

She raised her eyebrows. "The image became distorted, but now I can put the whole tower in the picture."

"Yeah and you'll highlight its size, it's cool."

Homura watched the couple laughing and talking, her eyelids were heavy.

"He managed to impress her a bit after all," Ichiro commented and glanced at his sister.

The girl did not make any movement.

"Well, I'll go buy the tickets." Ichiro left.

"I'll go with you."

Before he turned, Homura passed by in firm steps toward the line.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The sun was gone as the group got into the elevator. Fast, in less than a minute they had reached the height of three hundred and fifty meters.

The door opened onto a deck with large panoramic windows. There was also a cafe and souvenirs for sale. As Ichiro predicted, there were fewer people at that time.

"You can see Disneyland from here." Udo was excited. "I just need to find where."

"Why don't you use that?" Ichiro pointed to an interactive screen with information about the most important places to see.

"I'm not a tourist!"

Madoka began taking pictures when she recognized. "Is that... the Tokyo Tower?"

"Yeah, the old tower..." Udo played with the perspective. "Look, I can hold it between my fingers!"

"Wehihi." She took another photo.

With her arms folded, Homura looked at the city at night. From that point the sight was very familiar, not unlike Mitakihara.

" _.senihs ytic ehT_ "

She affirmed, "I didn't ask for your opinion."

"What did you say?" Ichiro frowned.

She exchanged glances with him, but then looked away. "I... I was thinking aloud." And left.

They walked around the deck, up to a point where the floor was glass and they could see the base of the tower, giving a greater sense of the height they were.

Udo started jumping and stepping against the glass.

Ichiro grabbed him. "Hey..."

"What's up brother? Are you afraid of height? Someone who pilots a helicopter."

"I'm afraid of your stupidity."

"Haha, this doesn't break." Udo looked at Madoka. "See, she's not scared."

She smiled. "I'm more worried about you than scared. I don't know if..." When she turned, the other girl was not there.

Homura was gripping her red scarf in a dark corner far from them.

Seeing that, she turned to the other two and forced a grin. "Maybe she is."

"Hmmm..." Ichiro was also looking at Homura.

"Yeah." Udo shrugged and left. "Let's go up more guys."

After paying for the entrance, they used a smaller elevator. It went up from inside the tower and there were windows that allowed to see the metallic structure. In the case of Homura and Madoka it was more than that.

The dolls were sitting on the lattices, greeting the newcomers.

They reached another observational deck, smaller than the previous one. It was actually a ramp going up, making a spiral around the tower.

"Wow..." Udo stared at the stars through the glass panels. "And it's not even the highest point, it's a shame we can't go there."

"Yes," Ichiro mused, "even though I've seen it so many times by helicopter, it still fascinates me. That feeling of the great being so small."

Homura was lagging behind the group when she heard what would be a flock of birds. She stopped and saw her children, holding hands and bare feet, plummeting from the tower. Soon she noticed that Madoka had stopped too, looking at her with serenity. It was time to explain. [ _Nothing wrong, they're just playing._ ]

Carrying the same expression, Madoka walked again, she seemed satisfied.

It was not a certainty for Homura, nevermore was. It was not the first time, and since then, it has become increasingly difficult to decipher her.

The ramp ended in a circular room, at the highest point they could reach.

"Four hundred and fifty meters..." Udo came as close to the window as possible and opened his arms. "I'm flying!"

The room contained a small hall, where a set of mirrors and lights formed incredible patterns. Other than that, there was just the opportunity to take unique photos.

Ichiro saw an attendant look at her watch. "I think our time is running out."

People started to head for the elevator. Homura was walking along with the crowd, she was in a hurry, since Udo was just behind.

"Ow, are you trying to run away, sister?"

She gritted her teeth, but they were going to return home after that. Only a little more...

When she got into the elevator, Homura noticed that it was already full.

"Looks like the other two will wait."

With Udo's comment, she quickly turned around.

Standing outside, beside Ichiro, Madoka slowly opened a smile.

Homura's eyes widened, it was the same feeling when she first saw her this morning. It was too late, the door closed.

With the elevator descending, Ichiro spoke to Madoka, "We have time for one last peek."

"Yes."

They walked to the nearest window, the silence bringing a greater sense of the vastness of the world.

The city and the night, two starry skies that meet on the horizon.

"I hope Udo doesn't try something silly with our sister," Ichiro said.

Madoka replied, "You worry a lot. I saw it today, you're good for her."

He paid attention to his own reflection in the glass. "You're wrong, I wasn't a good brother."

She lowered her gaze.

"I did things... that I feel shame. With our absent father, I as the oldest brother should have been exemplary, but I used that position against her. Now, when I see Homura like that, I know it was due to me."

"And you didn't ask for forgiveness?"

"When I realized what I had done, it was the first thing I did and she accepted. However, they were empty words and acts. She doesn't even recognize me as from the same blood. I can't compensate for the damage that was done, I can't change it..."

"I've lived with Homura for a long time, I can assure you..." Madoka looked at him. "You're making a mistake."

Her soft voice brought a harsh assertion, Ichiro hesitated to ask, "What do you mean?"

"Did you stop being what you were and never considered it? For I say, Homura has changed. You two now have enough experience to know how much this past represents to your life from now on. I believe in her heart, you should too."

A shooting star. Ichiro's heart sped up, filled with a will, a hope.

 _This woman..._

Startled, he looked at her. There was only a teenage girl, wearing a stupid black hat, but with a steady and calm expression. He felt small, like he was in front of his mother.

And as it was, he did not need more words to understand. "You want me to help her."

Madoka clasped her hands together and nodded slowly.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

They say that the trip back is shorter than of the departure. It was the feeling they had when the car parked in front of the mansion.

Udo spoke as everyone left the vehicle, "And there're still many places we haven't visited."

Ichiro agreed, "Odaiba, Ginza and its underground, the rainbow bridge..."

"Disneyland."

"Can you stop with that?"

"Tssss..." Udo smiled at Madoka. "So? Did you like?"

"It was very good," she replied, looking at Homura, "right?"

She gave a quick reply, "It was..."

For a moment Ichiro pressed his lips together.

Something that did not escape Homura.

Meanwhile, Madoka maintained a gentle smile.

Udo hugged himself. "Uhhh... Guys, it's always a bit chilly out here at night, let's go in."

When the door opened, the first ones that entered the hall were the dolls, running.

After was Udo. "Ah... Back to the mausoleum."

Ichiro warned, "If Chiharu-san hears this..."

"Everyone should be asleep by now."

Suddenly, a strong melody came from a hallway.

"Or not..." The older brother lamented. "Our father is going to spend the night in the library."

Udo took off his hat and scratched his head. "He and that old thing."

"Excuse me."

They saw Homura hurry to the stairs.

As they heard her climbing, Udo remarked, "And there goes our sister to lock herself in her room again."

Ichiro sighed.

While Madoka put her hand to her chest. She lifted her head and closed her eyes to better absorb each note. An old joy, but she did not smile, for its heady charm was the shackles of a soul.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Capitulation**


	7. Capitulation

**Capitulation**

The day had come, but not the sun. A thick mist covered the hills, including the mansion.

Homura could only be grateful.

The convenient curtain of humidity hid her steps to her hiding place, away from the stares, judgments, and accusing songs. Just the memories to torment her in peace.

The bushes were tall and well tended, but they had no flowers, no birds or bug sounds, no symbol of life in that maze in the garden. Homura made every curve wanting to get lost more, going deeper.

For there was one more purpose this time.

Reaching a dead end, she stopped and looked around. Feeling safe to do so, she raised her voice, "Show up! I know you're out there somewhere..."

Her invitation was received by silence, but she stayed where she was. She would repeat the call if it was necessary.

It was not. First a subtle sound of foliage and then a white thing landed in front of the girl. The red-eyed plush creature sat on the grass and wagged its tail. [ _Homura Akemi, how can I be helpful?_ ]

The girl gave a spiteful look.

Kyuubey shook his pair of small ears.

She then stated, "You've been watching Madoka and I, even here, Incubator."

[ _Naturally. I am always on hand for the case of Madoka Kaname wanting my presence, or you as now. In fact, we continue to collect grief seeds and we must deliver to her soon._ ]

Homura's gaze narrowed. "And is that all?"

[ _If you called me to make innuendoes..._ ] Kyuubey turned and prepared to leap over the wall of shrubs.

"Wait!" She reached out and lowered her gaze. "Sorry..."

[ _I did not take this as an offense, only that our time could be more productive._ ] The creature turned to her and blinked his eyes. [ _Actually, I am intrigued now, I did not expect to hear this coming from you._ ]

"I guess so..." She sat next to one of the bushes and hugged her knees.

Kyuubey came closer. [ _I have also noticed that you have been further from Madoka._ ]

She glanced at him.

[ _Maybe you have found something wrong with her and you are considering what we discussed some time ago._ ]

"Never."

[ _Hmmmm..._ ] Kyuubey pointed his tail at her. [ _So would it be about being here?_ ]

She raised her eyebrows. "Why do you ask? You should know more about them than I do."

[ _At the time you were keeping us from making a contract with Madoka, we came to research your origins, but we did not delve into when it became clear that you were an anomaly._ ]

"Speaking of research..." Homura paused before asking, "are you looking for an alternate source of energy? Madoka gave you time for this."

Kyuubey nodded. [ _The magical girl system is one of the fruits of our research to combat entropy and we have never stopped._ ]

"Couldn't you show something? A proof of your progress."

[ _It is a long time work. I believe Madoka understands or she would have asked for it herself._ ]

Homura's words were sour, "Maybe you're counting on her kindness."

But that would never be enough to change Kyuubey's expression. [ _Is this an accusation?_ ]

"Let me be more explicit," she said coldly, "you're using this time to plot against her."

[ _What would we gain from this?_ ] The creature ondulated his other pair, of long ears.

"It's obvious! Turn back as it was before."

[ _We do not have that interest. Our new contract methodology that I have explained to you reflects that._ ]

"Liar..."

Kyuubey closed his eyes. [ _I see that it is necessary to share another motive by which we are observing you._ ] And he reopened them, now glowing intensely.

Homura felt an ominous air.

[ _Through the emanating power of your emotions, we witness the whole universe to be twisted, and even one being extinct. Such scale was beyond all expectations._ ]

"So you see us as a threat," she concluded, even more convinced, "one more reason to want to get rid of us."

[ _We do not see it that way. Unlike you, Madoka Kaname has proved quite reasonable. Therefore, it is a tolerable risk._ ]

"Risk... Hmmm..."

Kyuubey noticed a smile forming on her. [ _Homura?_ ]

"So..." The girl narrowed her eyes. "If there was a plan against us that you were one hundred percent sure that no one, not even Madoka or me, could find out about you being behind it, you'd try, wouldn't you?"

Kyuubey tilted his head. [ _This is very specific._ ]

"Fufufufufu..."

[ _What is it? Why are you laughing?_ ]

The face of Homura tensed. "... fufufuuuhh... uuuhhh..." And tears began to fall. "... uuhh... fufu... uuhfuhufuuuhhhfufufu..."

[ _Now you are crying, but you are still smiling. Would these be tears of happiness? I do not understand..._ ]

"You haven't changed at all..." She lowered her head, resting her forehead on her gathered legs. Now, hidden from the world, her teeth clenched more than ever. "This... is so... comforting..."

Kyuubey turned his head. [ _Someone is coming._ ]

Immediately, she widened her eyes. Homura stood up and rubbed her face with her sleeves. Taking a deep breath, she examined her hands, her skin looked normal.

Footsteps on the grass and then the figure of Ichiro emerged in the fog.

Homura looked at him with all the coolness she had.

It did not diminish the smile he carried. "Since you're not in your room, I imagined you're here. Remember when I found you here crying because you're lost?"

"It wasn't because of that I was crying," she replied monotonously.

"We pretended it was."

She flinched and turned away. "What do you want?"

"I speak on behalf of our father." He nodded. "He wants you to do the high school in Tokyo."

She gulped.

"Keeping in mind this is to prepare you for a position in the company. It isn't yet defined which one, but I'll accompany your conditioning."

"Why..." She closed her eyes and shook her head. "Why would he offer this to me?"

"Because he's afraid of you." Ichiro stopped smiling. "That you commit an irreversible act."

She stood there without saying anything.

He sighed. "You have nowhere to go, what guided you is gone."

Homura closed her fists.

He noted, but continued, "you can no longer follow the steps of our mother, but you also can't live in a limbo. You have to do something!"

There was no reaction.

Seeing her like this, with her usual braids and glasses, the mist covering the maze, was like an aged photo for Ichiro. However, it was time to acknowledge that his sister was another person. "If our father fears you is because you were bold. I feel more relieved to know that you don't live like a victim." Without waiting for anything, he left that photo behind. "It's people like you that our company needs. No need to answer now, you have until the end of the school year for this..."

Homura heard the footsteps on the grass becoming distant as she reopened her eyes, his voice in her mind.

... _You have to do something_...

[ _Ichiro Akemi._ ]

She looked at the creature that was still at her feet.

[ _I would say he was pretty rational. Now you can have a normal life, like the other peeeEEEEEHH!_ ]

She grabbed him by his big ears and brought him up to her disgruntled gaze. "I didn't wish for this."

Kyuubey closed his eyes and his 'smiling snout' seemed to mock her more. [ _You will never learn, no?_ ]

She flung him. His body flailed and spun as he disappeared into the haze.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Eyes open, back to this world, in the early hours of the afternoon in the mansion.

It was no coincidence, Madoka could hear the melody. She left the bed and her room. In the hall, she stopped in front of the closed door of Homura's room. Since lunch, she had not seen her outside there.

She gave a small sigh and continued. Down the stairs, she could hear the sound more clearly.

"Where are you going?"

And she could hear Chiharu too, who suddenly entered the hall. Madoka greeted with a smile, "Hi."

The woman nodded, keeping her seriety. "I asked where you're going."

"Ah..." The girl shrugged. "I'm not sure."

Chiharu frowned.

While Madoka pulled her smartphone out of her pocket. "Tomorrow I'll be going back to Mitakihara."

"Yes, you will."

The rather curtly response from the housekeeper made Madoka pause for a moment. "So... I was thinking of taking some more pictures of the house, my family won't believe I've been in such luxurious place. I could take some more from you too."

"I appreciate the offer, but I'm busy."

It was a refusal, but the woman's voice had become less tense. Madoka smiled more. "Well, if you change your mind..."

"Yes, excuse me." Chiharu fixed her gaze on the girl one last time before she left the room.

Madoka waited for the door to close and begin taking pictures of the paintings, statues, and other decorations as she entered the corridor, following the music.

Then she put her smartphone back.

Facing the library door, Madoka again lifted her head, feeling the melancholy hidden in the notes. Meanwhile, her shadow grew and crawled to the doorknob. Her neck twitched as her expression went into a trance.

Making no noise, the door opened a little and the music grew louder. She pulled herself together and looked at the opening.

As usual, Hiroshi was sitting in the armchair in front of his wife's altar, with a glass in his hand.

Now it could be a matter of time, but Madoka could not wait. A light touch and the door creaked.

Hiroshi quickly turned his head.

Certain that she had been seen, Madoka stepped back and hurried to leave.

"Wait."

She stopped, with a subtle smile, one she would not show when she turned.

Hiroshi had opened the door as he gestured. "Come here."

She held her hands on her chest and lowered her head.

"Don't be shy." Hiroshi flashed a crooked smile. "Come on, I want to introduce you to someone."

With hesitant steps at first, Madoka went to him and entered the library. "Sorry..."

"Oh, you don't have to."

She saw the old smiling man check the lock on the door, which was in perfect condition.

He turned the key twice and put it in his pocket. "It's my fault, actually. I should have had a proper conversation with you to avoid any misperceptions. Lets sit."

She watched him approach the chairs in staggering footsteps, his skin was flushed, and his sweat smelled of alcohol.

Hiroshi collapsed in the chair, putting his hand on his forehead. "Ahhh... Forgive me for not being able to offer you a drink for your age."

She sat down in another one. "I'm not thirsty."

"What a polite voice." He looked at her. "Heheheee... hehe..."

Madoka smiled gently as she kept her hands on her closed legs.

The man continued to smile until he raised his eyebrows and opened his mouth, about to say something, and remained in this pose for a few seconds and then shook his head. "Oh... where are my manners?" He picked up the glass with whiskey and ice, cheering to the woman in the picture. "Ai, this is Madoka Kaname, friend of our daughter who came back to us!"

"Your wife is beautiful," Madoka commented.

"This image doesn't live up to who she was." He grinned and took a gulp, gritting his teeth later. "Ahhh..."

Madoka continued, "I heard from Chiharu-san that she was a ballerina, a great dancer."

"Yes, yeeeessh..." Still with the glass, Hiroshi stood up and stretched his arm, as if dancing with someone. "We danced here."

Madoka heard the man hum, following the music coming from the gramophone.

"I was a lucky man..." Hiroshi fell back into the chair. "Because she's the mother of my children..."

Sadness betrayed his assertion. Madoka spoke, "You are."

"Ichiro and Udo... We couldn't be happier, but she wanted a daughter." He poured more drink into his glass. "Why would I deny it? But during pregnancy the exams indicated that her blood pressure was too high. Doctors said it was because of her age and recommended abortion." He shook his head. "Ai would never accept, she always fought to the end."

Madoka closed her eyes and nodded.

"At six months of gestation she had a fulminating stroke. I was at work when I heard they were in the hospital, taking our daughter from the womb of my dead wife." He drank and chewed an ice cube, sighing. "Homura was born almost dead and they put her in the incubator with little chance of survival. It was months, but as the ember rekindles, she did it."

"It had been difficult years."

"Ah..." He replied to her comment, "Doctors warned me only about possible physical sequelae, I should know. Homura... she... knew too early about the context of her mother's death. I had to send her to a school, away from anything that might remind her of it. It had been the right thing to do."

"You mean the ballet?"

Hiroshi looked at the girl. Even to his inebriated mind, that question had sounded rhetorical. "Homura was interested in this. Everyone was more mature and things were getting better."

Madoka smiled. "Even your relationship with her?"

Now it seemed impertinent, Hiroshi felt uncomfortable with that or with the silence, the disc in the gramophone had reached its end. "Yes, yes, everything was better..." He got up impatiently and went to the apparatus. "Until she did that damned test to get into a real ballet school. They discovered a heart defect, probably from birth, and she could have a sudden death if her body developed more. She had to have surgery and she could never be a dancer again."

The music returned to fill the atmosphere, while Madoka concluded, "That's why you sent her to Mitakihara."

Hiroshi turned to her as he started to get a headache. He was not drinking enough. "You continue with the wrong idea. I didn't abandon her there, Ai would never forgive me."

Madoka kept looking at him.

To hide an expression of pain, Hiroshi smiled and returned to the chair. "You must think that I stay here every day. Do you think the company would have survived if it were led by such a man?"

"But you seek that."

He furrowed his eyebrows.

Madoka explained, "I saw Ichiro-san very busy these days. He has spared you of the affairs of the company."

"Be more careful with those frank statements." Hiroshi turned his attention to the drink. "It's good for him, it's already his time for that."

"I'm worried about you."

"I'm old." He looked at his wife's portrait. "When you're my age you'll understand that there isn't much left to live for, only echoes of the past."

"And that's how your daughter is seeing you," Madoka affirmed.

He replied promptly, "She doesn't care."

"And you?"

Hiroshi rubbed his face. There was no need of a sharp mind, any visitor living with them for a few days would come to that conclusion. "Look... I gave my daughter a present, a doll, by the time she was doing ballet. She gave the toy the name of her mother. It gave me some discomfort, but I let it pass..." He took a sip and sighed. "She would talk to the doll and take it almost everywhere. Chiharu-san said it was normal and made her happy. It was what I wanted." Then he rubbed the icy glass on his forehead. "But when the day came when I had to talk about doing the surgery, she refused because she had made a promise to the doll. The distance between us had not diminished, not even a little. That doll was her family."

Madoka saw him get rid of the glass.

"So I burned it. Until the wax melted, until the joints cracked and become unrecognizable. And Homura went to Mitakihara, and she didn't want to see me or talk to me any more. I accepted it and that's how it was until days ago, when I met someone I don't know... I can only think that she must have avoided enrolling in Shirome because it reminded her old school and the ballet." He snorted. "What should I do? What she was doing was not healthy, but..." Then he pulled his white hair back with both hands. "I just wanted her to call me father. I didn't think I was the worst one, but she needed special care and I failed. She lost her family, twice, and I'm responsible for that."

"Don't be so hard on yourself," Madoka said, shaking her head calmly, "she still has a family and you talking about it to me is a step."

"I was honest, wasn't I? This is unusual for me..." Hiroshi glanced at her. "You're mature for your age, though you're too bold sometimes, your parents raised you well. I feel pathetic now for not being sober."

"Ah..." Madoka rubbed her neck. "I'm used to it in my home."

"Is it true?" The man raised his arm, as if holding an invisible glass. "I salute your father."

The girl lowered her head, closed her eyes, and smiled.

Meanwhile, among some books on the shelf, there was a purple salamander with wide eyes. It had seen enough and entered a crack in the wall.

It was a dark path, full of ancient pipes and electric wiring, covered with dust and cobwebs. The creature felt at home in this intricate labyrinth, climbing the floors without difficulty.

It finally reached the room where Homura, catatonic, stared at her reflection in the closet mirror. The reptile climbed the girl's legs, her torso, shoulder, neck, until it reached her ear where it slipped in.

Homura had a spasm and exhaled. Her eyes came back to life, while her expression was of a outrageous rage. "I know what she's doing! How foolish I was..." She looked around.

In the room were her children staring at her with their glass eyes.

She returned to look at the mirror, hoping that her own image would give an answer. "But why... She knows that what she's asking me for is absurd, it's impossible! I won't do it!"

Her reflection began to move her lips.

"You must confront her."

Homura looked at Ibari.

The doll put her hand on her hips. "She's abusing you now that you're nothing more than a nuisance. Defend your dignity!"

"What dignity?!" Homura snapped.

In the mirror, the lips continued in a subtle movement.

"That's right! You'll always be a good-for-nothing." Warukuchi covered her giggle with her wax hand. "But how do you want an answer from her? She's too cunning now."

"An answer..." With a melancholic countenance, Homura pondered, "if I asked her, she would give one, and I would trust her voice. However, that would satisfy me?"

"You wished to protect her! You love her! You can't-" Manuke could not finish the sentence, being held by Nekura and Ganko.

"No..." She pursed her lips. "I've been against Madoka's will once, I don't have the courage to do it again. I don't see a way."

In a contemptuous tone, Reiketsu folded her arms. "You think too much, always inventing rules as excuses to remain inept."

That was like a flash to the girl. "That's..." She looked at the mirror.

She was now in a black funeral gown.

"I'm looking for a solution where there isn't even one." She looked at her arms. "Nevertheless, I will challenge the fate that has been imposed on me."

Her skin quickly rotted, darkening and tearing. Like worms, threads sewn the leather pieces.

 _I must destroy reason, feelings..._

Her mouth was gagged by leather and stitched. Yakimochi brought a hat with a vinyl record as a brim and put it on her mistress, while Mie tidied up the braids of white hair.

 _... only this way, before her I will not hesitate._

And Higami also had something to offer, a white mask with a pointed nose. When it covered her face, Homura could no longer see the future.

" _.hturt eht lievnu lliw I ,ssendam fo serohs eht tA_ "

* * *

 **Next chapter: Memento**


	8. Memento

**Memento**

Under clouds of floating chairs, an army of magical girls camped on prairies of pure white. Many of them stopped their conversations and activities, getting up to those who had arrived.

In her wondrous divine attire, Madoka floated slowly between them, her endless strands of hair toward the sky.

She was accompanied by two experienced girls. One was blonde with rust-colored eyes, wearing a red uniform with rich golden trim, with a dragon symbol engraved on the fabric. She carried with great pride a rifle with a bayonet that could be used as an alabard. "1260 'pacified' witches... Madoka, what do you think of that number?"

"Actually 1272 and why do you use that word with irony, Elisa?" The other, except the skin, was predominantly gray, giving the air of maturity and wisdom she could express, while the small form of her body hid under her tunic. "They are alive and, indeed, have received from Madoka some peace of spirit."

"Pernelle..." With a mocking smile, Elisa aimed the rifle. "When I use this weapon you gave me against witches, it's always a hunt."

Pernelle adjusted her glasses. "Speak as if you made a major contribution to this campaign."

"I defeated two witches." Elisa looked away and played with her little ponytail. "Well... at least I hit them. It's not easy with so many magical girls acting together, there are colorful explosions everywhere."

"All the contribution is worth," Madoka stated, "even for those who don't fight."

"But the end result is the same, isn't it? A lot of grief seeds..." Elisa made an extravagant gesture to herself. "So, goddess, I'm sure we faced witches we've already encountered in other campaigns. Are you bringing them back to life to entertain us, hmmm?"

Pernelle was not a person who displayed expressions, including that of annoyance with the questioning of her acquaintance.

Madoka crossed her open hands over her five gems on her chest. "I seek to carry their curses on me for a while so the girls can have the opportunity to see a future and fill themselves with hope. Unfortunately, some return to tread paths of vices and destruction."

Elisa let her gun rest on her shoulders. "That's the way it is. Some people have such weak hearts and minds that they would throw away their own salvation."

"I don't know which one would fit in with what you say." Madoka's countenance grew firm. "However, the certainty that can help them is that I'll never give up."

"That's why you're a goddess," Pernelle added, with a sharp look toward Elisa.

"What are you implying?" In a more defensive posture, the blonde lifted her chin, but that changed when she saw who was coming. "Ah! There she is!"

It was another blonde, but with Green eyes and wearing pink armor. She came running and knelt before Madoka before she even stopped, almost falling with her face on the 'ground'. That did not shake the girl, who lowered her head and clasped her hands together. "Holy Maiden... I'm sorry. I didn't realize you're still with us."

A shadow came out from beneath the kneeling girl and rose, taking on the ethereal form of a magical girl with long hair, black like her cloak and robes. She was very serious. "Tart, how many times must I remind you that you don't have to do all this?"

"Oooh ho ho ho ho..." Elisa giggled, covering her mouth. "Leave her Riz, it's the plebeian blood that compels her."

Pernelle wasted no time retorting the assertion of the girl with rifle, "Humility and respect are virtues, princess."

Elisa flinched and turned her face. "P-Please... You're nagging me today..."

"When I see the Holy Maiden, I feel like I have to do this. My chest burns deep inside." Tart slowly stood up. "I knew that He would send someone to intercede for the magical girls."

Faced with this important historical figure, but still an innocent and hopeful girl, Madoka looked at the other girls in the camp. "I'm so used to it... that I sometimes forget the scale and importance of this endless work. Thank you, Tart. Thank you all for helping me."

Smiling, Pernelle conjured her staff. "They deserve this rest." Then an aura with alchemical symbols covered her. "In the meantime I'll take my time to try out some of the ingredients I've collected on the barriers. _Au revoir_!" And then she disappeared.

Riz frowned. "Rest?"

Elisa replied, "After so many fights, don't you think we should take a break? Even I know there are other important things to occupy our minds beside the next battlefield. The demons will keep the peace during our absence."

"Demons..." Riz crossed her arms. "Can we trust that?"

"I trust Madoka," Elisa consulted her.

The goddess' golden gaze flickered. "Out of control, witches are a source of imbalance that will be fought by them."

"We shouldn't call them demons anymore!"

Everyone redirected their attention to Tart.

The girl carried a determined face, one hand closed on her chest. "They're cast into hell because they're against our Lord, but His piety has no end. This work is their redemption and so we must call them angels again."

Seeing Tart's posture, Riz felt compelled. "You're right, after all we had no incidents with them..."

"It's all under control," Madoka said.

"Hahaha!" Elisa approached her two companions, using one arm to embrace Tart and the other one to pretend she could do the same with Riz. "Enough of worry, let's go to my barrier! I'll prepare a dragon steak for you guys."

Madoka took the opportunity to fly higher, saying goodbye, "Have fun. Rejoice. The Law of Cycles exists to heal the spirit and it's true for everyone. Thanks again!"

Tart watched her rise as she made the cross sing, while other girls from the camp waved.

All that faded into the white background. Madoka rised higher, past a few clouds of chairs, then stopped and looked around to see if anyone was there.

In fact there was a gray girl sitting in one of the chairs.

"Pernelle?" Madoka was surprised.

"I felt it was better to talk about it only with you," she said, "you're hiding your anxiety well, but normally you'd take more of your time to talk to the other girls."

Feeling exposed, Madoka gave a faint smile and sat in a chair, while her long strands of hair rested on nearby ones.

"How's Homura?" Pernelle asked.

Madoka sighed. "We're in a delicate moment."

The alchemist sought to know more. "Did she do something?"

Madoka shook her head. "I did painful things, but she was already in pain."

"I see..." Pernelle poked her own cheek, analyzing the statement. "A medicine is nothing more than a poison at the right dosage."

"I need to do this," Madoka said, not only to the other girl but to herself, "but Homura hasn't given me an answer yet."

Pernelle raised an eyebrow. "What if she doesn't...?"

"She's going to make a decision." Madoka nodded. "And we'll have a proper conversation. I trust that."

"You hope..." Pernelle looked at the inside of the goddess' skirt and its opressive darkness. "You have made great sacrifices to change the story of all magical girls, but changing the destiny of a specific person is beyond your wish."

"But it's not beyond me," Madoka replied with conviction.

And so fiercely that Pernelle was impressed.

The golden tones gave way to pink in the eyes of the goddess, now a girl crestfallen in the chair. "When Homura is confused, she always seeks in me a path to continue. I have this responsibility, since I took the first step to form the relationship we have today."

Pernelle smiled. "I'm a counselor, that's all. I can only say things like 'Don't let anyone see you like that'."

Madoka lifted her head and the golden glow in her eyes returned.

"I don't doubt you're the most capable person to take care of her." Pernelle rose from her chair, walking on a magic platform she had conjured. "Just be careful while expecting results, I've blown up my home a few times because of this."

Madoka nodded.

The gray girl made a gesture and the platform began to rise, traversing her body and making it disappear. "If I manage to distill a potion of true happiness, you'll be the first to know."

Then the silence of being alone and surrounded by empty chairs. Even in that world, where anyone was within the reach of a mere will, Madoka had this human feeling. She valued it, learning from whom she wanted to help, whom she wanted to see soon.

She closed her eyes and forgot that world, it was easy when there was no interference. Colors permeated beneath her eyelids as her body floated in a gentle embrace.

Until she felt a cold squeeze on her right shin.

The first thing she saw was the ceiling of the bedroom where she was in the mansion. It was still night and the moonlight invaded the room through the window. Madoka noticed who was holding her shin, kneeling beside her bed. The light reflected vibrantly on the hard, smooth white surface of the face and on the glass eyes.

Madoka recognized the coif that doll wore. "Manuke? Why aren't you with Homura? Do you want to sleep with me?"

The doll released the shin in a fright and hugged herself, head down, not looking at the girl. "No... I came here to call you."

Madoka froze, she did not expect the doll to speak, let alone hear the innocent voice of Homura. "Where are the others?"

"Outside..." Manuke looked up to see the window. "They didn't want me to participate in the executions, I look silly, someone might find it funny." Then she consulted Madoka. "Executions aren't funny, are they?" However, she did not wait for an answer to continue. "So they asked me to call you so I wouldn't be a dead weight, I guess..."

The girl jumped out of bed and approached the doll, offering her hand to help the other get up. "Show me the way."

Barefoot and in a white nightgown, Madoka walked through the long corridors holding hands with Manuke. There was a pressure that could be felt in the ears and wood cracklings came from all sides. Mechanical sounds were amplified, like those coming from the doll's joints and distant ones from old clocks scattered around the house. They went downstairs and Madoka saw through the window, in the trees bathed by the full moon there are flocks of owls with their eyes fixed on her.

They continued to the main entrance, where stood two lead soldiers with a similar appearance to Homura, but with bulky heads. As soon as they saw Madoka, they pointed at their spears and ran toward her.

The girl took the front of the doll and reached out her left arm as she pulled the right one. Like a blossoming rose, a long bow and an arrow of energy arose in her hands, which was fired.

The arrow split in two and coil around the soldiers, tying them. They rolled on the floor, neutralized.

Madoka kept walking to the door, which opened itself for her. The courtyard lights were out, it would be pitch black if it was not for the moon, a warm breeze caressed her skin.

"Now our mistress knows you're coming."

Madoka turned, seeing that Manuke was still inside the house.

"I did a good job." The doll was smiling. "After, can you tell me everything you've seen?"

Madoka also smiled as her bow evaporated into tiny pink dots. "I'll bring Homura and she'll tell you."

With the sole of her feet feeling the gravel and then the grass, she left Manuke behind. Was it too late? Madoka ignored the doubts, after all if she wanted an answer from Homura, she now had.

She reached one side of the mansion and noticed a warm light projecting into the trees in the area behind the building. She continued, certain that she would find Homura soon.

On the yard were dozens of lead soldiers carrying torches. They surrounded a large wooden platform with dolls and four guillotines lined up, the blades still hanging.

Among the dolls was Homulilly, approaching the first apparatus where a person had his head stuck. With her sewn leather hand, she rubbed the boy's pink hair. _".noos nettogrof eb ti tsel ,shtped renni ruoy erahS .sselthgiew era shturt dna sselgninaem era seil ,su nopu sniar htaed nehW_ "

With rolling eyes, only showing the sclera, and the witch's Kiss mark on the neck, Udo gritted his teeth and exalted in fury, " _!oot eno evah ton dluohs uoy ,erutuf a evah ton od I ,derettahs erew smaerd ym dna deid rehtom yM .efil ruoy fo yad yna evresed ton od uoY !erutuf a evresed ton od uoY_ "

Homulilly went to the next guillotine.

In the same situation as his brother, but with a more melancholic appearance, Ichiro began to confess as the shadow of the witch was on him, " _.dlrow ruoy fo sgniht dab eht lla yortsed ot ydaer ,ssenrettib fo lluf ,denruter uoy tuB .enoyreve rof retteb eb dluow yaw taht thguoht I .flesruoy llik dluow uoy ,tsrif pots ton did traeh ruoy fI .evila kcab emoc ton dluow uoy thguoht I ,arahikatiM ot tnes erew uoy nehW_ "

She kept walking.

Hiroshi struggled. He breathed through his mouth and salivated a lot as he said broken sentences, " _...dlrow siht ot emoc ot denitsed ton erew uoY ...arumoH ...yrroS ...yrroS ...decnivnoc eb ot dedeen ehS ...erom eb dluohs I ...noitroba ...iA_ "

Then Homulilly reached the last execution device, where there was a woman.

" _...uoY_ " Gritting her teeth, Chiharu tried to raise her head more, but in vain. " _.sfeirg fo tsap a ni uoy htiw mih nword dna efiw sih rebmemer mih ekam ot dah uoy ,efil htiw no og mih tel ton dluoc uoY .tellab od ot dah uoy ,on tub ,dedeen eh namow eht eb dluoc I ,sdnuow s'amas-ihsoriH laeh dluoc I .elcatsbo na eb dluow uoy wenk I ,rehtom ruoy ekil dekool uoy erom eht ,werg uoy erom ehT !gnihtyreve deniur uoY_ "

A spit of the woman hit the witch's feet.

" _.yresim siht ot dne na tup ot tnaw uoy woN_ " Chiharu's eyes rolled and her irises and pupils appeared. The pupils pulsed alternately and in a rhythm as if it were an engine. " _.egaruoc evah ton od uoy tuB_ "

Behind the mask of Homulilly remained empty and dark as her fists clenched.

" _.sattednev yttep ruoy yfsitas ot segufretbus fo evil uoy yhw si tahT .nettogrof eb noos lliw uoy ro yrots eht fo mitciv eht eb ot deen uoY_ " The skin of the woman's face stretched to the limit in a big smile. " _!won meht esaeleR .sedalb eht esaeler nehT ?gnorw I mA_ "

"HOMURA!"

Chiharu's eyes were once again just the sclera, and the tension in her face was gone, as if she had lost her life, while the witch looked at the one who had shouted.

Still on the lawn, Madoka had a stern expression.

The soldiers prepared their spears and the dolls surrounded the guillotines to guard them. Meanwhile, Homulilly flexed her legs and took a great leap into the sky.

Madoka tried to follow her with her eyes and saw a shadow on the moon.

Suddenly, Homulilly landed in front of the girl.

The air was pushed with the shock, making the nightgown and the loose hair of Madoka flutter.

However, Homulilly remained as static as a statue. Not even her white braids respected the principle of causality.

None of this made Madoka retreat. "I'm not afraid of you, stop this."

As if that sentence was a trigger, Homulilly opened her hand and hit the girl's chest.

"Uck!"

The sound of tearing flesh and ribs breaking can be heard when a large black needle impaled Madoka.

Homulilly pulled her arm back and when the needle left the wound, a red thread quickly descended through the nightgown and blood poured on the girl's feet.

Wide-eyed and shaking hands, Madoka could not hold the blood in her mouth.

While the witch was contemplating her needle, which had sprouted from one of her seams. The bright red blood on the black metal glittered in the moonlight.

After that moment, the girl's countenance was as it had been before.

With the pair of hollow holes, Homulilly looked at her.

The red line in her nightgown gradually darkened until it was completely black and her feet were covered with tar.

The witch quickly returned her attention to the needle. The blood had turned black as the metal and squirmed like tentacles. She extended her arm and fired the needle, hitting the lawn. The 'blood' left the needle and covered the leaves, blackening them.

Madoka's eyes turned golden, as the black viscous liquid coming from her mouth dirtied her pale skin.

Seeing this, Homulilly, with the back of her closed fist, slapped the girl's face.

Madoka spun in the air and fell on her stomach.

" _?won tnatropmi gnileef uoy erA_ "

Still down, Madoka rubbed her face and felt some cracks. She then began to crawl.

" _...raf os enog evah ot eb tsum uoY_ " Homulilly followed, conjuring a black pin. " _.ecalp siht ot gnimoc ni detseretni os gnieb uoy rof gnihtemos saw ereht wenk I_ "

The dolls spun their pins in a choreography, forming a disciplined cheer.

And Homulilly danced and twirled and whirled her pin masterfully. " _?meht ot gninetsil ni tseretni hcum os yhw os ,evah uoy wonk I ,seiromem ym lla evah uoY :noitseuq a emac taht htiw tub ,tsap ym tuoba klat ot elpoep eseht htiw flesruoy detalosi uoy nehw reraelc emoceb ot detrats sgnihT_ "

Madoka stopped crawling.

" _.taht detcepxe uoY ...oN .emit siht lla spets ruoy gnihctaw saw I wenk uoY .em ot tub ,uoy ot ton saw ,drow yreve ,meht yb dias saw tahW .tuo dnuof I_ "

Slowly, she tried to stand. "Homura..." She was then violently hit by the head of Homulilly's pin and flew for a dozen meters. Her twisted body rolled over the grass and ended with her broken face facing the witch.

" _.'sterger' rieht ot gninetsil ,sdrow teews rieht yb netfos ot traeh ym detnaw uoY_ " Wings of dark energy grew behind Homulilly. " _!ycrem ym rof ksa uoy ,sllaw eseht ni sraey rof tlef I tahw gniwonk nevE_ "

Madoka continued to stare at her, without any reaction, lifeless.

But the golden gaze was enough to annoy Homulilly. " _?gnihtyna yas ot gniog ton uoy erA_ " The wings became giant hands and the arms of energy lengthened toward the girl.

Madoka was grabbed and lifted by one hand, only her head was out of the fingers.

" _?em ot siht gniod uoy era yhW ?uoy yhW_ "

Images formed in the Homulilly's hands and arms of energy, flashes where Madoka appeared in her worldly life. Waking disheveled, wishing she could get some more sleep; waking her mother, greeting her little brother and father; running to school, late; meeting her friends, smiling, playing.

The images danced around Madoka's head as she continued with her expressionless golden gaze, stained by the black liquid.

Now inside the school. Madoka's face was very close, like a sunshine that does not hurt, it would never hurt. She held a person's hand as she introduced it to her friends; when she accepted the handkerchief of this person, for she had drunk the glass of juice too quickly; when she lent her homework, embarrassed, since she was almost certain that not all the answers were correct; yet, until the sunshine was gone, there was no rain.

" _!em rewsnA_ "

Looking at the witch bellow, Madoka smiled. With serenity she replied, "Because you gave me a chance."

Homulilly dropped her pin. She did not realize that, because she had just used her other giant hand to crush her sunshine. Without hesitation. She squeezed both hands with all her might.

The black liquid dripped between her fingers and descended like a torrent on the grass, forming a large puddle.

Seeing this, Homulilly stopped and opened her hands. There was nothing beyond that liquid.

The surface of the pool vibrated and a large blob rose. It squirmed and deformed, surging a pair of large inhuman eyes.

Homulilly closed her hands again.

The blob was stabilizing, with the eyes and the shape of Madoka.

" _!HHHHHHHHAAA_ " Homulilly smashed the blob, splashing the liquid from the puddle away.

More blobs rose, each one becoming a copy of Madoka and her smile.

" _!HHHHAAAA !HHHHAAAA !HHA !HHIII !HHHHIII_ " Homulilly slammed the blobs non-stop.

The puddle grew more and more. Despite the fury of the blows, the attacks were losing pace and the witch was unable to deal with so many Madokas. The puddle threatened to overtake her as she dropped to her knees and bowed her head. " _...emehcs ,evieced ,etalupinam uoY_ " Then a shadow loomed over her.

Madoka was standing in front of the witch in her white nightgown, as if nothing had happened, there was no more puddle or black liquid. Her eyes were wide open, unblinking, the golden glow competing with the moonlight.

" _...eniF ... eb reve dluow I naht retteb era uoy ,os nevE_ "

Madoka was between the arms of energy and watched them withdraw until they disappeared behind the witch.

" _.ti ecarbme I dna em si tahT_ " Homulilly lifted her head, facing the goddess. " _.deneppah gnihton taht dneterp dna meht htiw evil ton lliw I .meht evigrof ton lliw I_ "

"I don't want forgiveness," Madoka affirmed, "I want you to recognize that your family did this. Your father wished you had been aborted. Your brothers accused you of being a murderer. They got rid of you whenever is possible, like a nuisance."

" _?uoy ot rettam ti seod yhW_ "

"It's not for me..." Madoka's expression relaxed and she knelt down. "Homura, don't run away. You're ready to put an end to it, with dignity, as daughter and sister." Then her hands went to the witch's mask. "Bring peace to the doubts you carry."

" _!oN_ " Homulilly turned her face and recoiled. " _!potS_ " But the hands reached her.

"I'm not afraid of you, I told you..." Gently, without any effort, Madoka took the mask for herself.

Under the shadow of the hat, a pair of glass eyes, with blue and white concentric circles, smooth as the white skin of wax.

"Can you see now, Homura?" Madoka reached out again. "Maybe this will help you give a clear answer."

Homulilly felt the pull and the seam ripping. The leather straps opened, revealing her doll's mouth.

Madoka took the opportunity to remove the hat too, since its shadow concealed all the beauty.

Long strands of black hair, which were trapped inside her hat, came down and covered Homulilly's back. She was examining her hands, seeing the seams breaking. In a burst, the leather straps flew away, leaving behind wax and mechanical joints.

Madoka was pleased with the result. "Go forth, witch of progression, now you are truly free to decide."

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Walking like zombies, the four convicts were escorted back to the mansion by the lead soldiers, while the guillotines and the platform were dismantled by the dolls.

Supervising that, Homura and Madoka were sitting on the lawn. They had not exchanged more words.

Madoka appreciated the doll that was sitting next to her. The features were almost identical to those of Homura, though the waxen skin did not appear to be so supple and the eyes are larger, more vivid. Her eyelids made a distinctive clicking sound as she blinked.

Under the golden gaze of the goddess, Homura cringed. "Madoka..."

"Yes?"

"How much have you changed?"

Madoka looked at the moon, nudging her chin. "Hmmm... I wonder if there is a measure for this..."

Homura glanced at her.

Realizing, Madoka smiled and said, "My mom will be the first to die."

Now Homura was looking.

"About two and a half decades from now. She always jokes that her liver will not make it... Unfortunately it'll be the pancreas. When she find out, it'll be too late." Her gaze lost, but she continued to smile, nodding to herself. "But she'll see Takkun play baseball. Well, it'll be dad's idea. He'll want to sell his diet to athletes and will use my brother as a propaganda boy. This isn't going to work, because he has no talent for the sport."

Homura was so perplexed that now she really was as static as a doll.

"Wehihi... but his baseball stories will be a hit with the girls. He's going to have kids and get married, in that order. Bad boy... He's going to live a lot, but not as much as our dad. The diet really paid off and he'll get famous, especially among the elderly, he'll sell many books. They'll notice when he's gone..." Madoka sighed and turned her attention back to her companion, now with a more melancholic smile. "A daughter shouldn't know these things about her family, right? Sorry, things can't be like they used to be. The first time I witnessed this, I cried, but aware that this is the natural course of events."

The circles of Homura's eyes changed to the green and red tones and she showed her sharp teeth. "Do you consider natural what we have become?"

Madoka stopped smiling and turned her face, more thoughtful. "I have fear."

"Fear? From what? "Homura's gaze narrowed. "From who?"

"No, it's good for me to have fear." Madoka stretched out her arms, leaving one hand palm over the other and separated them away.

Homura noticed black veins arising in the upper palm and soon a line of black liquid flowed continuously, being absorbed by the lower palm.

Madoka seemed mesmerized by it. "It was this which made me think calmly and carefully, so I had the courage to make my wish."

Homura blinked as the other clapped her palms together.

"I have fear of forgetting this feeling, just like others." Madoka turned to Homura and grabbed her shoulders. "That's why I need you to remind me!"

Her eyes went back to the way it was before, and the teeth were gone. Homura looked away, not knowing what to say.

"I love my family, but now you know I feel detached from them." Madoka's hands slid up her neck and touched the doll's cold, smooth cheeks. "Let us become adults and go somewhere in this world, together."

Homura held the hands. "You intend to stay here so long?"

"Madoka Kaname is still part of this timeline. I can't know what's going to happen from now on, I can only compare with what I've seen in other universes." Madoka leaned her forehead on Homura's. "There must be surprises and I couldn't miss the opportunity to share them with you."

The golden glow gleamed on the wax skin and Homura's glass eyes ran, not knowing where to look. "If-If I agree with you, not... not my wildest dreams came close, it can't be true..."

"It will be true." Madoka came close to her ear and whispered, "but you still have a step to take."

Homura shuddered in a subtle cacophony of mechanical sounds, barely noticing that Madoka had stood up and reached out for her.

"Come."

Homura did not know where that hand would take her, but she did not care anymore about what she would leave behind.

Then the wax hand joined with that of a goddess in a firm grip.

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

The day broke with well-dressed men coming down the stairs with travel bags, followed by the two girls.

"The car has arrived, you can put it there." Chiharu was there to give instructions.

While Ichiro, near the entrance of the house, was stretching his neck. "Ahh... We should have checked earlier when the train with connection to Mitakihara would leave. On holidays the schedules always get complicated."

"No problem." Madoka stopped in front of him, followed by Homura. "We'll buy something at the station to eat on the train."

"Hey!" Udo came running. "Are you guys leaving already?"

Ichiro replied, "No one will be waiting for you to finish dyeing your hair."

"C'mon! I did it last night." Udo rubbed his pink hair. "Madoka, what do you think?"

"Ehhh..." The girl smiled. "It's cool."

Chiharu looked at the boy for a moment and returned to the tasks shaking her head.

Udo was very excited. "Did you see anything sinister during the night?"

"Something... sinister?" Madoka exchanged glances with Homura.

The girl with braids and glasses was quick to answer, "We were sleeping, we didn't see anything."

Ichiro was more annoyed. "They didn't need to know that..."

Madoka raised her eyebrows. "Hmmm... What did you see?"

"We didn't see anything," Ichiro spoke, "but today we find the lawn crumpled at certain spots, forming a pattern. There should be a structure set up there."

Udo nodded. "Like an alien spaceship, they might be planning on abducting us."

Madoka's gaze grew. "Aliens? Abduct?"

"Have you ever seen news of strange markings on crops? This is a new case! Come and see with your ow-"

"Stop this nonsense!" Ichiro cut off his brother. "It's just thugs who decided to camp on our land. This place is isolated but has no... security..."

Everyone saw the man looking in one direction.

It was Hiroshi who was coming in slow steps, rubbing his neck as he did not take his eyes off Homura.

The girl stood tense, lifting her chin.

He took his glasses and wiped the lenses. His voice was cold, "You're going back to Mitakihara, right?"

"Yes..."

"Could you try not to disappear this time?" He put his glasses back, waiting for a confirmation.

Homura gulped and lowered her gaze. "Father..."

Hiroshi blinked and the silence in the room intensified. Chiharu frowned, unable to contain her expression.

"In this time I've been away from here, I've learned to love... and I've learned to hate too."

Madoka did not look at, just heard her, almost smiling.

"My brother talked to me..." Homura glanced at Ichiro.

The young man nodded.

She then looked at her father. "And my answer is no, I'm not going to work on our family company. I won't share my future with you. Nothing, let alone our blood ties, will make me change my mind."

The silence was back and everyone turned their attention to Hiroshi.

He remained impassive and spoke with the same coolness, "Very well... You're my daughter, I have responsibilities, I expect you to understand."

Homura said nothing.

He continued, "You'll continue your studies in Mitakihara, I'll be paying your expenses until you finish high school. After that, you can go wherever you want without giving satisfaction to anyone, with a condition."

This time Homura questioned with some anxiety, "Which one?"

"Don't bring shame," said the father, rising his tone, "for when someone asks about your family, no matter how much you hate, you will say that your father is Hiroshi Akemi!"

She averted her gaze and pressed her lips together.

Hiroshi kept staring at her without moving a muscle.

Then Homura nodded, quickly and exaggeratedly, and left the house.

"Hmmm..." Madoka bowed to the hosts. "I'm so grateful for the opportunity to meet you all and to stay in this wonderful ambient."

"You're a wonderful person," Ichiro replied, quite friendly, seeking to bury the tension, "we all agree."

Chiharu took a deep breath.

"Yeah!" Udo made a thumb up. "If you did shows, you would be idolized!"

Madoka put her hand on her chest. "Me?! Idolized? Wehihii... I think that's an exaggeration."

Hiroshi said, "If you come again, bring your family, everyone will be welcomed."

"So..." Madoka nodded at them, smiling. "See you."

"Bye, take care!"

Leaving, she noticed Homura standing beside the car, staring at her own the reflection in the door window. She came over and touched her. "Are you alright?"

Homura turned to her and said calmly, "Yes, I'm great."

"Homura-san!"

They saw Chiharu coming.

The housekeeper asked Homura, looking at Madoka, "Are you sure about that?"

"We've always been sure, haven't we? It's me who was being a coward..."

The woman opened her mouth to speak, but she had no words.

Homura did not wait, she went to open the door of the vehicle. "Chiharu-san..."

Surprised, she then stammered, "Y-Yes..."

Homura turned her head to see her. "Help him." Then she went inside.

Madoka entered through another door, but not before nodding to the housekeeper.

Chiharu watched the car move across the courtyard and through the gate, then disappearing in the first curve.

Solitary, with the sound of the breeze mingling with the words she had just heard, she returned to the mansion, where she saw Hiroshi talking to his eldest son.

"I'll check the helicopter," Ichiro said, "I want to make sure no one messed with it."

"Do it," the father agreed, "this invasion was something serious, I should have installed surveillance cameras a long time ago."

Ichiro was leaving the room when Udo accompanied him.

"Damn... I think I should have asked for her number."

"It's better this way."

Udo smirked. "Hey, you got the address of her family, didn't you?"

Ichiro half closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Don't even think about it."

"Meh..." The other shrugged. "I bet she has a personal page on the Internet."

"You'll forget her in a week."

"Nah, she's special, you felt that too."

"Oh yes..." This time it was Ichiro who smiled. "Then I'll give you a week to find something else special and one more to forget."

"Fuck off!"

Even with the two already distant, Hiroshi heard that. "I should focus on Udo now."

"Ichiro has been a good influence on him."

He saw that Chiharu was at his side.

She promptly bowed. "Hiroshi-sama, do you want me to leave the breakfast in the library?"

He continued to stare.

The woman glanced for an instant.

Finally he commented, "You're wearing lipstick today."

A new, quick glance, Chiharu replied, "I always wear it."

"Hmmm..." Hiroshi stopped looking at her, turning his attention to where he wanted to go. "No, I've spent enough time in the library. I'll be on the veranda, bring it to me."

"Yes." The housekeeper bowed more and left him.

Hiroshi did not move. The joints ached, the back and neck as well. He examined the bleached top of his hands, details that came with sobriety.

But there was something new.

"Ai... I feel empty inside. This is a good thing?"

 **／人** **◕‿‿◕** **人＼**

Through the train window, the last tall buildings were falling behind. Homura expected to miss this, but that was not the case, perhaps because she would soon be back in the city where she had spent most of her life.

"Spy mission complete!"

She saw her seat companion using the smartphone.

Madoka began to show the photos. "Mom will love these with us and your brothers in Tokyo. Tell her no one flirted with me, okay?"

More photos were showed, including some inside the mansion. Some were works of art, but most were people posing; Ichiro, Udo, Chiharu and the staff; there were few of Hiroshi when he was not looking.

Madoka's smile faded a little. "Ahh... We could have more photos... If you had left your room more..."

Homura removed her glasses and crunched in her fist.

Madoka paid attention.

She opened her hand and the object evaporated into a yellowish cloud of luminous flower shaped particles, which soon disappeared. Homura then picked up her braids and untied the purple bows, letting her hair unravel slowly. She left the ribbons in her open palm and stared at them.

"Uh-huh..." Madoka brought a hand to her red bows. She untied them, letting her hair fall.

Homura noticed that her hair seemed longer than usual.

Madoka left her ribbons in the palm of Homura, along with the other pair, and then covered with her own hand. "Here's our past kept..."

Homura closed her palm, interlacing the fingers with Madoka. "... and that's where they'll stay."

And the train went to the next station.

* * *

 **Next chapter: Epilogue**


	9. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

Cold and cloudy.

For Sayaka, it was far from ideal to be on a beach in Hokkaido, but it had its benefits. Sitting on the sand, dressed, she felt the wind as a melody deep in her thoughts, cadenced by the sea waves. The song grew inside her like a container that was about to overflow. She held the lid with some embarrassment and guilt, but she had the peace she needed in that deserted place to deal with it...

"Sayakaaa! Look!"

Not so deserted. She saw Kyouko running with a shell in her hands.

"That's pretty big, huh?" The redhead put the shell opening close to her own ear. "They say you can hear the sea inside them."

Sayaka was already accustomed to the excitement of Kyouko, the girl never had the opportunity to go to a beach before. "Let me see." She received the shell, with a beautiful spiral shape, pinky. She put it in her ear and there was a constant sound, like a wave that was coming to the shore, but never ending. For a layman this would be the sea, but she could not fool herself.

"What's the problem?"

"Huh?" Sayaka was confused by the questioning of the other.

However, Kyouko was quite serious now. "You're making a strange face..."

She returned the shell. "It must be because I'm cold."

"C'mon, tell me."

"Tell what?!" Sayaka opened her arms and frowned. "That would be nice to have a heater here? Haha! Hahaha..."

Kyouko's gaze became more penetrating.

And the blue haired girl recognized defeat. "Damn... You'll find this ridiculous."

"That I decide."

Then she continued, "I was thinking, now that we have explored Japan and could return to the Law of Cycles..."

Kyouko folded her arms. "Yeah..."

"There the girls see me as a hero, since I'm always helping Madoka."

"Uh-huh." Kyouko was already looking tired. "And..."

"Don't get wrong, I have no regrets. However, I'm worried." Sayaka started drawing a musical note on the sand. "I'm already dead in this world, as in so many others. That version of me might not have achieved much, but she had plans, dreams... while I'm a hero, but what now?"

"Huh?" Kyouko raised her eyebrows. "Existential crisis?"

Sayaka spread the sand, undoing the drawing. "I knew it, I was stupid to share this with you."

Kyouko sat down next to her.

And Sayaka was surprised.

Looking at the ocean, as far as the horizon allowed, Kyouko said, "I've told you many stories, but I don't remember telling you about what happened in the first days after my family died." She took her long ponytail and left it on her lap, removing the sand at the tips. "I parted away from Mami, kept my soul gem clean, and, with a bit of magic, stealing and getting a roof was kinda more easy than I thought... but now what? The rest of my life would be that?"

Sayaka shivered, she did not know if it was the cold or the eagerness to ask that question, "You... Did you find an answer?"

Kyouko shook her head. "At that time, if I kept looking for one, I would have agreed with death. When you think ahead hurt you rather than help, you get by with what you have now. Just wake up and do what you think needs to be done. That's how I ended up here with you, being part of something bigger, an improvement, I guess..."

The song of the sea continued and Sayaka was afraid of its waters, seeming endless, but sailing in them, could the horizon paint her destiny?

"Let's go back to Mitakihara."

Hearing Kyouko, Sayaka had to put her thoughts aside to deal with less noble matters. "Are you going to ask Mami-san for more money? Counting what we have, it should be enough for another month. We can revisit some cities along the way, maybe there's still some witch to rescue."

"It's her birthday."

"Already?!" Sayaka widened her eyes and scratched her head. "I had forgotten..."

"Sure you had, last year she didn't even make a party because her apartment was still under repairs," Kyouko complained, "I promised her I'd come and it didn't even have a cake!"

Sayaka scowled, "but we went to a candy shop together and you looked happy."

"You can't be sad if there's food." Kyouko seemed to be nodding to herself, then she stood crestfallen. "But it's not something special... When it was the birthday of someone in the family, we always did something, even with the little we had, to remember that we had each other. Wasn't like that in your family?"

"But it's not something special... When it was the birthday of someone in the family, we always did something, even with the little we had, to remember that we had each other. Wasn't like that in your family?"

"My family?" Sayaka was baffled, not so much by the question, but by the almost explicit family relationship between her friend and Mami. "Only when I was a little girl, after my parents separated my mom have no time for a party, but I invited my friends and we went to cafés. I even received gifts, Hitomi always gave me an expensive piece of clothing, and Madoka was something... cute."

"Ah... You shoulda told me before." Kyouko smirked. "Heh. On your next birthday, let's have a great party with all of Holy Quintet! It'll look like a dream!"

Sayaka shared the smile, but not for long. "There's no need of all this, I'm already used to it. In fact, in the Law of Cycles you don't feel the time passing, so I think... that's meaningless..."

"Tch. That..." Kyouko pointed at her. "That's stupid!"

"Okay! Okay!" Sayaka held up her hands. "It's just an idea, we can use something to mark the time."

"What is that idiot doing?"

Sayaka angered up. "HEEEEyyy... What is this now?! I didn't apologize? Are you going to start talking to me in the third person?"

Kyouko was not looking at her.

Then Sayaka noticed the mare in the distance, entering the sea, defying the waves.

In a jump Kyouko was already standing and ran. "HOMURAAA! Come back heeeere!" As she stepped into the water, a wave hit the shins and she nearly lost her footing. With increasing difficulty, she was getting closer. "Homura!"

The quadruped finally answered the clamor and stopped, looking at her.

The waters began to return to the sea and Kyouko felt herself being carried along. She threw herself on the animal's body so she could continue to stand, completely drenched, while it did not seem to be making any effort. "Damn it! Why I still try to save you... You'll always return... right?"

The mare lifted its tail and a yellow strong gush came out.

Kyouko gaped. "What the..."

Sayaka had arrived near the water and put her hands on her hips, smiling. "Aww... She was being polite not to do that on the sand."

The redhead felt the water becoming warm. "Shit! Shit! SHIT!"

* * *

 **Thanks for reading "Memento". This work was in my mind since I wrote "Disconnection" and many elements of the series connected to it, now remains the satisfaction of having it finished.**

 **While the series continues. "Pages" is a oneshot, a small interlude involving our goddess Madoka and a girl she has not forgotten. Cya!**


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